Taking Over Heaven
by Solar-draconis
Summary: A RolePlay Fanfiction done by me and my Sister, Lunardraconis, about a young woman from Sylvarant who gets unexpectedly dropped into the life of a Cruxis leader, with many other things happening along the way to make her life that much more chaotic.
1. Angels, O Rly?

**DISCLAIMER:** Spoilers ABOUND within huge document. If you care about Tales of Symphonia spoilers, don't read, darlings. If you haven't played the game and don't care about them, it doesn't really matter. You can follow fine anyway.  
**DISCLAIMER TWO:** Authoresses have terrible memories and therefore some minor-to-medium details from the game may be off by a litt- ... a lot. Don't kill us. 

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A flash of lightning lit the sky as an inferno well below raged. Trees ravaged, houses collapsing, people running about in fright. The dark sky threatened to pour rain at any moment, though it seemed to want to let the forest burn longer. Well above the flames on a cliff, overlooking the forest, sat a blond boy in white; who sat on the edge and watched the flames emotionlessly, deep in thought. 'Damn humans...' he mused, listening to the distant screams of the people in the forest. 'Intent on wiping out the elven population in this world, apparently...'

And nearer the flames, drowned out by the sound of crackling fire, a yellow-cream colored horse was galloping out of the forest. Its blonde rider wore quite a lot of green, had a protective sheath over her right arm, and a spear over her back in its own sheath. "Damnit, Brunt, FASTER." she commanded, and the horse leapt over flames before them, finally bursting out of the burning forest and kept going, though a bit slower. The horse looked out of breath, and the female rider looked back at the forest with sad eyes. 'Well... so much for meeting my father...' she thought, clicking her tongue and pulling on the reins. Her horse responded to the command and began walking up the pathway leading to the cliff, where both of them had yet to spot the boy sitting there.

The boy's ears twitched and he glanced around as he heard hooves hitting the ground. Standing up, he narrowed his eyes slightly against the dark in an attempt to see whoever was coming before they saw him, but it was useless. He ducked behind a boulder instead, glancing as he went at the inferno below. 'C'mon, sky, raaain...' he thought ancily, looking toward the pathway again from around the boulder.

Both horse and rider looked exhausted and rather singed from the fire. The horses' fur was gleaming with sweat in places; the rider was leaned over slightly. She sighed, climbing off the horse and peeling his saddle off. "Don't worry, Brunt... Rain's coming, it'll cool you off." she murmured as the horse swung his head around and nuzzled her shoulder. She smiled faintly, glancing back at the forest, then at the sky, before approaching the boulder the boy was behind to set the saddle there, not noticing anyone was behind it.

He inched over to avoid being seen, cursing his inclination to wearing white as he did so, as it'd make him easier to spot if lightning flashed again. Naturally, while he was inching, he kicked a pebble to the side and against the boulder, the ensuing clicking noise causing him to look down at his feet, glaring angrily. Damnit!

The rider stopped, blinking. She set the saddle on the boulder and peered around it, spotting the boy rather quickly and blinking. "...Who're you, then? You don't have to hide." she smiled.

He froze, still looking at his feet. He looked up at her, suddenly innocent and frightened-looking. He recoiled away from her slightly, peering at her through curtains of his blonde hair. It was dark, and even with his eyes, he couldn't see well in the shadow of the boulder. Silent for a few moments in which he tried to size up this woman, he noticed something strange about her that he couldn't quite place... might as well introduce himself. "M...My name is Mithos," he muttered, sounding kind of scared. "Who're you?"

"Sendra." she smiled still, backing up from the boulder but keeping him in her sights. "You can come out, I won't do anything to you." she said, also sensing something strange from this boy but not really caring to identify it. Her horse had already lain down in the grass near the edge of the cliff, huffing tiredly.

Mithos paused, and then stepped away from the boulder cautiously, not taking his eyes off of her. Lightning flashed again and he froze, staring. He blinked several times, but the brief flash of light had already vanished. He didn't say anything, still looking frightened.

She smiled faintly, walking past him and reaching into one of the saddlebags. "Did you come from the forest?" she asked, looking over at him as she retrieved an apple from the saddlebag.

He paused, then nodded. "Yes..." he muttered, still watching her. "M-my sister told me to come up here before the fires spread too far," he invented wildly, glancing quickly at the edge of the cliff before looking back at her. "She was going to help some of the other people. But I don't know if she's still alright..."

Sendra blinked, glancing back at the forest. If his sister was in there, there was no way she'd still be alive... She didn't see that many escape and she was one of the last few out. She chose not to mention that, though. "I'm sure she'll be alright... Apple?" she gestured to the apple in her hand and held it out to him.

He blinked at it, then shook his head. "No, thank you." he mumbled, still staring at her. He jumped lightly and looked at his arm; a drop of rain had hit it. He looked up at the dark and cloudy sky and sighed with relief; it was finally beginning to rain...

She smiled. "The rain will help put the fire out, it should leave some of the village intact." she said, walking over to the edge and sitting beside her horse, who looked very happy about the rain.

He nodded vaguely, looking around and watching her for a moment before walking over and sitting down in the spot he'd been in before, though he was watching her out of the corner of his eye more then the forest below. He didn't trust her; after all, she could be one of the humans who started the fire for all he knew. Then again... he'd never felt that strange aura from a human...

She leaned back against her horse, patting him with one hand and munching idly on the apple with the other. She sighed after a second. "Humans set this fire... I wonder if the rest of the elves know that or not." she muttered.

He paused. She knew humans had set the fire... He turned to look at her. "Probably not..." he said quietly. "The fire started on the outside of the forest, from what I can see. Toward Asgard." he nodded out across the forest, where one could clearly see where the fire had burned its way through the forest.

She nodded, glancing out over the forest. "I had been coming in from that direction and the fire started from behind me. I saw the humans fleeing." she said, smiling calmly as the rain washed over them. She finished the apple and tossed the core away for some animal to finish off, and looked over at the boy. It was then that she noticed that he was relatively unsinged...Hmm.

Mithos looked away from her when she looked at him, staring out across the fire that was now battling with the rain for dominance. He paused, then glanced back at her. "Why were you in the forest?" he asked, wondering now just what compelled this woman to enter the forest of elves.

"My father lived there." she smiled distantly; she doubted he survived, as, while she was riding through the burning village to get out on the other side; she saw the house she knew was his burnt to the ground.

He froze, staring at her. Well, that explained at least part of the strange feeling he was getting from her. "Only your father...?" he asked timidly.

She blinked, pausing for half a second. Crap, had she said too much, or could she get out of that? "Ehh...Yes. My mother died when I was younger than you." she said, watching the battle between water and fire.

He narrowed his eyes gently. "Then... why were you outside of the forest?" he asked, tilting his head to the side cutely.

Blah. Damn smart children. "My mother chose to live in a human town." she said, leaving out the fact that her mother _was_ human.

"...Strange," he muttered, looking back out over the forest. "Your father must not have liked humans much to not go with you and your mother. Can't blame him really..."

She raised an eyebrow. "You talk like you're older than you look." she smiled. But, of course, that was impossible...wasn't it? "He didn't like humans at all, but my mother was tired of living surrounded by trees. She wanted to explore a bit."

Mithos shrugged gently. "I read a lot of books." he mumbled. "Know beyond my years..." he looked at her wonderingly. "So... if your mother died when you were... younger then I am," he asked carefully, "Does that mean you raised yourself...?"

She nodded "I hadn't learned of my father's existence, let alone location, until recently... Stroke of bad luck that I decided to come to him _today_..."

He nodded, smiling very faintly. The rain seemed to be winning now, though the flames had already run their course of damage. He sighed gently. "So much for the elven village..."

She looked over at him. "How long have you been up here?" she asked. Her horse had long since fallen asleep in the cool rain.

He paused. "Um. I'm not sure." he muttered. "Since the flames had only reached the outskirts of the village."

She smiled. "That fire moved pretty quickly, with the wind at its back. Everyone in the village was trying to put it out, and it circled itself around the village and kept going." she said, watching him closely. "I was going pretty fast, and look." she nodded to her leg, which was black with soot and her boot was singed. "You, though...You don't looked burned at all."

"..." he paused again, staring blankly ahead of him. "...Um." he honestly had no reply to that. He cast around quickly for an excuse, but nothing came to him.

She chuckled. "And since you're on this side of the forest, and it started on the other side, you can't be one of the humans that started it." she said, smiling widely, not really believing his excuse of 'I read lots of books' now, either.

He continued to stare blankly ahead of him, thinking of a way out of that. "No, I would never start a fire like that." he muttered, almost feeling indignant at being even momentarily considered to be one of those humans. Almost.

"Oh, I doubt that... Doesn't explain why you're here though." she smirked. Child or not, he didn't have an excuse currently.

He frowned, knowing the excuse he'd used before would no longer work. "Does it really matter?" he said after a moment, finally tearing his gaze from vacant space and looking at her.

She chuckled. "Depends on why you're here. Even children can be dangerous, especially if there is a guiding force behind them. I do not know why you are here, or if you are dangerous to me." she smiled. "And it's not my style to just take someone's word."

He narrowed his eyes at her, thinking. Wise, he supposed, but annoying. "I don't have a proper answer for you." he said after a slight pause. "I came here to watch the fire. That's all I can really say..."

Her right leg arched and she turned slightly, still watching him. "So if you're not from inside the forest, why're you here watching it?" she asked.

He paused, thinking that over. "I have an interest in the safety of these people." he said shortly. "Not... that I could really do anything to stop this once it began."

"There's no town close to here either, and the fire started little over an hour ago. The closest town to here is three hours away on foot, at best." she smirked. There was something fishy about this boy and she wanted to know what.

He was really starting to get annoyed with her, for she was too smart for her own good. Or... his own good, maybe. He didn't let it show, of course. "I can't explain that." he muttered after a moment.

She chuckled. "You're far too young to be keeping secrets you can't explain." she said, pausing a second before blinking. Her eyes widened, though she stopped the reaction before it set in on her face. So that's what she'd been feeling... That only confused her more.

Without thinking, he brushed his wet hair behind one pointed ear, as it was getting annoying clinging to his face. He continued to watch Sendra, trying to find a way around this. "Think what you may. I can't explain any further then I have."

She frowned. "What makes it all the more confusing is that you're a half-elf." she narrowed her eyes. Now she wasn't even curious, she was _intent_ on knowing.

He paused. "...As are you," he said shortly, nodding toward her. "What difference does that make?"

"We're rare. And neither humans nor elves like us. As young as you are, the only solution coming to my mind is that you are working with someone much older...And I doubt you even have a sister. You've caught my curiosity." she said, watching him with narrowed eyes.

He twitched. "I do too have a sister," he muttered, glaring at her now. "She's just... not in the village." he had no other answers to her other points, so he let them be in the vain hope that she would as well.

Sendra crossed her arms. "Then where is she?" she said, meeting his glare.

He looked away, huffing gently. "I can't tell you that." he hissed. He was afraid he'd already said a bit too much.

"Why not, then?" she asked, never taking her eyes off of him. She was persistent, and unlikely to give up until she knew.

Mithos sighed, looking back at her just as another flash of lightning flew across the sky. He froze once more, staring at her. So he hadn't been seeing things. "..." he blinked, then shook his head slightly to clear it. He hadn't been able to hide the look of surprise on his face in time, though he tried to mask it now. "You are too persistent for your own good. :/"

"Yes, I am. And I doubt the fact that you act older than you look is attributed to books. Something distinctly un-natural is about you. And I want to know what." She said, turning more so she was facing him rather than the forest.

He looked at her reluctantly again. "I'm not sure you really do." he muttered gently, taking in her features now as best he could in the dim light. That was kind of creepy.

She chuckled. "Information I don't want to know, eh? I've heard that far too many times. No, I really think I do want to know."

He turned as well so he was facing her, arms wrapped around his bent knees. He watched her closely for a few moments. "I am much older then I look." he said slowly, trying to think of the least-impact way to word this. "Older then you, or indeed any of the elves in what used to be the village below."

She raised an eyebrow. It sounded like an out-and-out lie, but it did explain how old he seemed. "Mmhmm, go on." she said, straightening her posture out of habit.

He closed his eyes, looking annoyed and yet contemplative. "You truly want to know, hm..." he muttered. He could think of no way to explain to her satisfaction without saying what he really was. He opened his eyes again, all traces of childlike behavior gone now. "Are you a follower of the Church of Martel?" he asked simply, staring emotionlessly at her.

She chuckled. "Never had any time for religion. No." she said, watching him. He did seem to look older already, perhaps he wasn't lying...

He 'hm'ed lightly, nodding and still having that strange, expressionless expression on his face. "That will make my explanation all the more difficult..." he mused, still watching her unblinkingly as well. "The Church of Martel often speaks of the Angels that ascended to the heavens when the Goddess fell to sleep. Are you familiar with that story at all?"

She smiled. "I am not a follower of the church, but I know the stories from it. Yes, I am familiar. Go on."

He closed his eyes again. "I am one of those Angels." he said simply. He gave no proof of this, indeed he didn't even move at all other then opening his eyes again to look at her.

She raised an eyebrow again "Uh...huh. Never heard of an angel without wings, but if that is true, why are you here?" she said, still wondering if he was telling the truth or not.

"I already told you," he said pointedly. "I came to watch the fire." he stood up, glancing out over the smoking forest, both the rain and the fire having all but died away now. He'd stood up to show her his wings, but upon second thought, figured it'd be more interesting to let her think he was lying.

She twitched a little when he stood, her legs now tensed, just in case. "Mmhmm. And I'd suppose your sister told you the fire was going?" she said, watching him closely again.

He shook his head. "No..." he said slowly. "My sister..." he glanced at her and blanched slightly, then looked away again. That was way too creepy. "My sister is dead." he said quietly, eyes blank as he stared out across the ruined forest.

She blinked, another question rising in her mind. "...Wait, how can you be a half elf and an angel?" she asked, letting her arms drop to her sides.

He looked at her again, surprised at that question. Well, so much for not telling all of the truth. "...All angels are half-elves." he muttered. "Most of them, anyway."

She blinked "...Howzzat possible? Even the humans from the church hate half elves." she said. This story was sounding less and less plausible by the second.

He chuckled darkly. "They don't know that." he said quietly. There was no getting around it now. "You're probably one of the only people on the planet that knows."

She blinked. "How can they not know that? They seem to know everything connected with the story of the Goddess." she said, shifting and standing slowly.

He stared at her levelly. "They know everything they are _allowed_ to know." he said simply. "That's something they aren't allowed to know."

"And who, then, decides what they are and are not allowed to know? The priests are some of the most powerful men on the planet." Sendra stared at the boy. His stories still didn't make sense.

Mithos raised an eyebrow. "...I decide." he said shortly. He chose not to elaborate, as she probably thought he was some deranged little child who liked to tell tall tales as if they were real. If he was lucky, that's what she thought, anyway...

"Angels or not, who in their right mind would allow a child to decide something like that?" she glared at him. "You are hardly answering my questions, only making your situation more implausible."

"I speak the truth," he said, smiling for the first time. "And I already told you: I am not a child."

"Sure as hell look like one, shorty." she nodded to him. His head barely reached her chest.

"Looks can be deceiving," he said, taking a step back from her. She wasn't gonna back off, he knew by now, might as well get her to start believing. He glowed faintly, the glow brightening to a blinding intensity for a few moments, before dying off. Where the child Mithos had stood before, a man now stood, great purple, see-through and sparkling wings flicking behind him as he hovered a few inches off the ground. Equally sparkly wings at his wrists flicked as well, sending shimmers to the ground at his feet. Slightly blank green eyes narrowed at her as he tilted his head to the side, causing his long blonde hair to shift on his shoulders. "Believe me now?" he asked simply, his voice having changed to match his form.


	2. A Bit of Backstory

She stared at him. "...Stories...making a bit more sense now." she mumbled. Even her horse had looked up from the amount of light, though he seemed relatively uninterested and laid his head back down.

He nodded his head gently. "I am the leader of the organization known as Cruxis," he said, landing lightly and causing the wings at his back to fade, as they created too much light to keep out for long at the moment. "I dictate what goes on in this world and what information is known to any given being."

She blinked, straightening herself a bit. Slightly pink at the fact that the one she had just referred to as "shorty" was now taller than her, floating or not. She watched him a moment, glancing at his wrist-wings a few times. Then she spotted the odd looking...gold thingy on his chest. "...What's that?" she asked, having run out of decent questions (or had them blown out of her mind at the sight of an _angel_) a while ago.

He glanced down at the green gem on his chest and smirked. "Funny you should ask," he said, looking at her. "That is a Cruxis Crystal. It is the device that turns one into an angel."

She blinked. "...So you weren't always like that?" she asked, either coming to grips that she was talking with an angel, or choosing to ignore the fact because it was seriously too weird for words.

He chuckled. "No, but it's been so long that it hardly counts anymore. I am over three-thousand years old after all. Probably closer to three-thousand, five-hundred, actually..."

She blinked, crossing her arms. That didn't surprise her quite as much, since Elves were naturally long-lived anyway, no telling how long half-elf angels lived. She shook her head, still confused. "This is making sense now but still...weird. :/ How often is it for an angel to visit Earth?"

"Very rare unless I have a specific purpose for them to be fulfilling," he said, apparently not counting himself in that. "They stay in the Holy city of Welgaia, usually."

She shook her hair away again. "If you're the leader you seem to be, then what are you doing here, rather than sending some other angel?" she asked.

"I wanted to see it for myself," he muttered sadly. "The elven population of Sylvarant just took a devastating blow. I wanted to be here to make sure it wasn't wiped out entirely."

She blinked "...That sentence isn't making any sense either. You seem to have a habit of doing that." she muttered the last bit. "'The elven population of Sylvarant' makes it sound like there are more elves somewhere else. I may have just misheard, though..." she vaguely hoped that that was the case.

He smiled distantly. "Well, you already know way too much. Might as well make it worse." he looked at her levelly. "There are elves in another place, actually. Tethe'alla. The other side to this world; the Yin to Sylvarant's Yang, if you will."

Sendra blinked, silent for a long moment before she took on a defeated look. "I would say that's impossible, but since there just so happens to be an _angel_ standing in front of me, I don't think much is impossible by this point." she muttered.

He chuckled lightly. "No less of a reaction then I expected..."

She crossed her arms, staring at him still. "It seems there is much the...people of Sylvarant do not know." she said, shaking her head. This was still unbelievably weird.

"And I like to keep it that way," he said simply, narrowing his eyes at her briefly. "I am, for all intents and purposes, the ruler of both Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. I control the Church, I control the Chosens..." he smirked lightly. "I even control the Desians. None on either world really needs this information."

She blinked, she knew of Desians, the half-elves who terrorized the population; and didn't care for them, but they had never bothered her- she looked too dangerous for them to try- so she just did her best to ignore them. She blinked up at the man before her once more. "Mm... Despite what you have said, and how much all that information...unnerves me, I am glad you finally stopped being so confusing." she said, slightly quieter than usual.

"Hm... In all technicality," he said slowly, "You should not know any of what I just told you."

She chuckled. "No, I shouldn't. And I would assume that you do not wish me to tell any of that." she smirked. "I'm not stupid enough to, however. Incurring the wrath of the angels is not on my to-do list."

He narrowed his eyes again, though he was smirking. "As you said before... I, too, am not inclined to merely take someone's word for it."

She blinked, slightly afraid of what he meant by that, but she would never show it. "A wise way to live, if I do say so myself, but what, exactly, do you plan to do otherwise? All I can do is give my word."

He watched her silently for a few moments. "...Perhaps..." he said slowly, "Perhaps you would care to join the ranks of the Angels?"

She stared. "...Um. You'd have to tell me exactly what that entails, first." she said, though even as she said it, she glanced at the position of the moon. "...Although, if you're that intent on not taking my word on it, you may just have to explain on the go."

He raised an eyebrow, glancing up at the moon. "I would be happy to explain, but why do you need to run off?"

"I need sleep, and I...have somewhere to be tomorrow morning." she said, nudging her horse with her boot, and he made a grumpy noise, but stood up nonetheless.

"...Ah, of course." he muttered, having forgotten this concept of 'sleep' since it had been so long. He glowed briefly, again turning into that deceiving child. He shook his magically-dry hair from his face. "If you tell me where you need to be, I can just take us there in an instant."

She'd been heading over to collect her horses saddle, but stopped, turning to face him again. She blinked. "...err... o.o I would, if I remembered the places' name." she turned faintly pink.

Mithos sighed. "Alright, then we ride." he muttered. He glanced at her horse, sizing him up. Seemed like a strong and study animal, which he was, his head held high as Sendra collected his saddle and hooked him up. He didn't seem like most horses, who might hate being ridden, but there was an obvious bond between horse and rider as, once he was hooked up, she moved around in front of him, he lipped her shoulder. She chuckled, muttering to him and he backed off, and took to inspecting the now-boy who he assumed would be going with them.

"What is your horse's name?" Mithos asked, holding a hand out for the horse to sniff at. "He seems to be a very smart creature."

She chuckled. "His name is Brunt." she said, stepping around and blinking at the saddle, then looking back at Mithos. "Perhaps you should ride in front." she said, a slight hint of mischief in her eyes.

He looked up at her. "Um... okay." he said. "It's been a long time since I rode a horse... :/"

She leaned one arm over Brunt's back, nodding to the saddle. "Need some help up, then?"

"...:/" he blinked. "Yes."

She chuckled, holding a hand out to him. "Put your foot on the stirrup and I'll help you up."

He followed the instructions, settling himself into the front part of Brunt's saddle with her help. "Thank you. :/"

She chuckled again. "No trouble." she said, swinging herself into the saddle easily, letting him keep his feet in the stirrups, she didn't really need them. She reached around him and took hold of Brunt's reins, turning him slowly towards the path down the cliff.

Mithos looked around placidly, then smirked. "I'd almost forgotten you'd need sleep to be honest," he said, remembering part of the reason they were heading off. "I haven't slept in years... Rarely do Angels need it."

She blinked. "Mm... Something to consider." she shrugged. She acted as if it was completely and utterly normal when her horse bolted down the path at an amazing and almost reckless speed when one is going downhill. He sped up once they were on flat ground, his head lowered closer to the ground.

He looked utterly shocked and uprooted, jolted backwards slightly into her as the abrupt speed took him by surprise. Blinking several times and looking around in alarm at the trees zooming by, he swallowed nervously. "Why are we going so fast?" he asked, voice slightly elevated to be heard over the rush of wind.

She blinked "...Why not?" she grinned out of his sight, not minding that he'd been thrown backwards into her. Brunt stayed outside of the forests for now, appearing to follow along a cliff-face over the forest to their left.

He blinked in alarm, managing to sit up straighter now that he was a bit more used to the speed. Wtf, this chick was nuts.

She chuckled, hair whipping about in the wind. Brunt's speed never wavered. It took them less than two hours to finally round the bend around the cliff and see the town, nestled into the cliffs. The city of Asgard. Even as they approached, Brunt never slowed.

Mithos, quite unnerved now due to the speed, was even more unnerved as he saw the town approaching but no slowage. He looked over his shoulder nervously at Sendra. "Are you planning on slowing down at all?"

She made no reply, but urged Brunt onward, concentrating too hard. They erupted into the sleepy town, luckily no one was about to get in their way. They were riding right along a ridge that seemed to drop on forever; neither she nor Brunt seemed to care either,. He leaped up a small flight of stairs, still not losing speed at all.

Mithos was kinda freaked out now. "What ARE you doing?" he asked loudly, clinging to Brunt's neck in alarm.

She laughed lightly, though it was drowned out by hoof beats. Finally, they reached the inn they had been heading for. All-of ten feet between them and the window to the inn, she yanked back on Brunt's reins. He yelled a whinny, and reared back on two legs. Sendra leaned forward so she wouldn't be tossed off, and Brunt's front hooves slammed back into the ground. They were mere feet away from the inn.

Twitching lightly and still clinging to Brunt's neck, he stared wide-eyed at the ground below them. "...Do you do this... frequently?" he asked, voice fairly higher then usual.

She chuckled. "We hardly do it any differently." she said, bracing her hands on the saddle and hopping off behind Brunt. She stepped around and held up a hand to Mithos.

He looked over and stared at her hand, taking it reluctantly after a moment and sliding off. "Interesting. oo;"

She smirked. "It is the way we learned to ride." she said, leaving the shaken-looking boy and heading for the inn, expecting him to follow.

He shook his head, following her without a word. How bizarre...

She looked over at him a second, then shrugged. If he really didn't need sleep, she doubted he needed his own room. She paid the innkeeper for a room, and headed off upstairs, glancing back to see if he was following.

He still followed, looking around at the quiet inn as he walked and trying to put that wonderfully exciting horse ride behind him. :/

She led him to the one room, unsheathing her spear and setting it by the door, one eye half closing as she stifled a yawn. She shook her head. "Mm. So, what does becoming an angel entail, exactly?" she asked, unclasping the sheath from her shirt.

He crossed the room, settling himself precariously on the edge of a squishy chair next to the window and looking at her. "Certain sacrifices in exchange for certain gain." he said cryptically. "Angels do not have the need for food. We rarely sleep. Many lose the ability to feel temperature or other physical feelings, though most just lose a little bit of sensitivity to said feelings." he tilted his head to the side. "We gain near-immortality, enhanced physical reflexes and stamina... Better sight, better hearing. And the ability, of course, to fly."

She chuckled. "Those're sacrifices? The only one I can see myself missing is temperature." she said, stretching and flopping back on the bed, looking at him upside-down. Dull thuds on the other side of the bed showed that she'd kicked her boots off.

He smiled faintly. "They are for many." he said, choosing to not speak of the personality loss most angels go through. "The loss of sleep and food is something many don't like the prospect of, for some reason."

She shrugged, watching him a second. "...You said your sister was dead...was that true?" she asked. That had been before he properly explained things.

His eyes took on a bit of a blank look as he stared across the room. "...Partially," he said quietly. "Martel is merely sleeping."

She blinked. "...Martel...Goddess Martel?" He was being confusing again. D:

He smiled vaguely. "There is no Goddess." he said flatly. "I made it up when Martel was slain so I could control Sylvarant and Tethe'alla through the Church."

She blinked again. The thought of there not being a Goddess didn't unnerve her much. "I see. So, your sister is just...sleeping?"

"That's the simplest way to phrase it," he said, shrugging lightly. "Surely, you have heard the stories of the Hero that ended the Kharlan war?"

She chuckled. "Any stories I hear are from local drunks, and probably mangled horribly. Best if you explained it anyway."

He found it odd that someone hadn't heard of the stories, but began explaining anyway. "Long ago, the world was in the midst of a war that had raged for hundreds of years. This war was causing the land to die, and the great Kharlan tree, the source of all Mana, was withering."

Sendra nodded. So far, it the drunken-slurred story she'd heard wasn't too far off base, except the tree was in fact an exceptionally large bush and the war was between bunnies and hares.

"As Mana is the source of life, the tree dying was something that would kill mankind itself." he continued, gazing unblinkingly at Sendra. "A hero and three companions are said to have gone on a long journey to stop the war from destroying the earth. This hero is said to have formed pacts with the creatures known as Summon Spirits, great beings who control the elements, single-handedly fighting them each in turn and gaining their trust and power."

He took a breath and continued. "This hero is said to have brought the leaders of the warring countries together in the Holy Ground of Kharlan for the signing of a peace treaty, ending the war." he sighed. "During the journey, however, the companions are said to have lost one of their number in a great battle."

She nodded again, dots vaguely connecting in her brain. She rolled over so she was looking at him properly...or at least right-side-up.

His eyes were blank when next he spoke. "The story goes that the Goddess, stricken by grief at this loss, ascended unto the heavens, leaving the Angels with the edict of the Chosen that is so well-known I think I'll have to hit you if you haven't heard it." he smirked lightly, only half joking. "Of course, by now I'm sure you're confused again."

She squinted a second. "...I...can barely keep track of what town is what. o.e; Let alone what the Chosen is supposed to be doing. Um."

He rolled his eyes. "The Chosen is the one that saves the world. That's really all there is to the story unless you _are _the Chosen."

She turned faintly pink. "Was unaware the world needed saving anyway . ; Go on."

He paused, then chuckled. What a strange woman. Somewhat clueless and a horrible risk-taker. "It is believed that the hero of the war sealed away the Desians when the peace treaty was signed. But as the Goddess sleeps, the world dies, as the edict goes. The Desians come out and ravage the land until the Chosen is able to Regenerate the world, reviving the Goddess and cleansing the land of the Desians." he smiled faintly. "Or so the story goes."

She nodded. "Or so the story goes. I would assume it doesn't, though. Right?"

"I already told you," he said, "There is no Goddess." He settled back in the chair a little more comfortably. "The Hero of that war... is me." he said quietly. "'Mithos the Hero'."

She blinked. "...Knew I'd heard that name somewhere. :/ And...your sister is the one who died?" she looked a little sadder at that.

"Yes," he said quietly. "Due to her Cruxis Crystal, her soul remained alive even without her body. I bound her soul to the only part of the Great Tree that still existed at that point, the Seed... she is still bound there. The journey of the Chosen is the fruit of my effort to bring her back."

"How so? Thought the purpose of the Chosen was to save the world." she said, looking curious.

"It actually serves two purposes." he said vaguely. "To provide a body for Martel, and to reverse the flow of Mana. You see..." he chuckled. "Those warring countries in the story? They were actually Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. That peace-treaty? I made that up to cover up the fact that I split the world in two."

She blinked, taking a moment to remember what the hell Tethe'alla was, but then she nodded slowly. "I see... So, wait, if one of the Chosen's purposes is to provide a body for Martel, why hasn't she come back yet:/"

He sighed. "I need a perfect match," he muttered. "A perfect body that matches Martel's Mana signature. I have been manipulating marriages through the Churches of Tethe'alla and Sylvarant for over three thousand years, trying to create the perfect replica... the Mana lineage. Those who become Chosens."

She blinked, something flickered in her mind but she forgot it right away. She nodded. "I see...What about 'reversing the Mana flow'. What's that mean:/"

"Ah," he smiled. "Tethe'alla and Sylvarant lie adjacent to one another. They cannot see one another. They are on slightly different planes. Once again, Yin and Yang. One is in decline; one is flourishing. Currently, Sylvarant is the waning side, getting less of the already-thin Mana from the Great Seed then Tethe'alla is getting. Should the Chosen from this world complete the Journey of Regeneration, that will be switched. Sylvarant will get more Mana then Tethe'alla."

Sendra nodded. "Mm...'Kay." she rested her head on her arms. "Who were the rest of your companions?" she asked.

"Yuan, and Kratos." he said promptly. "Yuan is a half-elf who was engaged to Martel before she died. Kratos was my human teacher in sword fighting and battle. Now they're both direct subordinates of myself within Cruxis."

She nodded, doubting a lot of this would make sense to her later. She had a memory like a sieve. :/ Especially for names and locations. "So...what's the point of the angels, if all you're really doing is trying to get Martel back?" she asked, that being the only point of all this that she had seen.

He smiled, with his eyes quite blank now, it looked almost crazed to the casual observer. "My goal..." he said slowly. "Is to rid the world of the discrimination half-elves suffer."

She blinked...Well that made some sense, anyway. "I see... and that's why most of the Angels are half-elves?"

"Mostly," he said, nodding. "Cruxis Crystals are made by implanting a blank Crystal into a human body, and it is awakened through that human's pain and suffering. Sadly, it takes very specific humans to cultivate the Crystals. Exspheres, a different and less powerful version of Cruxis Crystals, are cultivated in the Human Ranches that the Desians hold. When the Crystal or Exsphere is removed from the body that created them, the human turns into a monster... and dies."

She nodded, not seeming freaked out by that in the least. "So that's what the ranches are doing, huh. :/ So how do you plan on eliminating the half-elf discrimination?"

The grin returned, still sort of strange-looking. "By eliminating the blood that flows in the veins of the population..." he said slowly. "Everyone will become the same. Discrimination will vanish completely."

She blinked. "...And how's that supposed to work?"

"The Crystal, of course." he said simply. "Angels... are also referred to as Lifeless Beings. Our Crystals nullify what it meant to be human, elven... or indeed, half-elven. We are all the same."

That much made sense, but that wasn't what she was wondering. "Well, yes, but how's that supposed to get rid of the discrimination:/"

He paused, frowning. "...People discriminate against us because we are different." he said, as if explaining something simple to a hyperactive five-year-old. "We are caught in the middle, neither human nor elf. When there is no middle, that won't be able to happen anymore."

She blinked. "...It isn't blood that makes discrimination, it just starts it. It's the mindset that causes one person to hate another. :/"

He blinked. "Listen to your own words. The blood starts the discrimination. When that difference vanishes, there won't be that motivation to start it in the first place."

She shook her head. "Yes, but the difference is still there even if the blood isn't. Humans and elves hate us because of what they think, not because of what we are. :/"

His brow furrowed. She wasn't _getting it_. "And why do they think what they think?" he asked pointedly.

Sendra blinked "...Because we're half elves. :/ But I've known humans who don't hate me because of my blood, I'm employed by one such human." she said, nodding.

He shrugged. "You'll find black sheep here and there. Kratos is one of them." He paused. "...What do you do for a living?" he asked, curious.

She froze for a second, then sweatdropped. "Ehhh...Um...Technically, my job title is... Assassin."

He raised an eyebrow. "An assassin? Interesting. That explains why you didn't flinch when I spoke of the human ranches."

She chuckled faintly. "No one really cares what I am so long as I do a good job...and I do." she smirked faintly. "That's what we're doing here, actually..."

He nodded, not seeming phased by this information at all. "I see. You have a job to do nearby, then?"

She nodded. "Yep. Tomorrow morning, before he's done opening shop. Don't even remember his name. :/ Was just told that he was a rather round man who wore an odd hat."

He 'hm'ed, nodding. "Should be interesting. Perhaps you should get your sleep, then. It's already quite late."

She blinked. "Gonna just sit there until I wake up, eh?" she chuckled, though she did move on the bed so she was actually laying rightways on it. "Since you're so adamant about not trusting me to keep my trap shut. :P"

He smiled lightly. "You intrigue me, actually. That, and I have nothing better to do then follow you around at the moment. Sleep; I'll be fine."

She shook her head, shrugging. "Whatever. Stay-awake well, then." she chuckled, rolling over and curling up into an almost abnormally tight ball, falling asleep immediately.


	3. Day in the Life of Sendra

She slept soundly, hardly even moving from the little ball she was in until about four-thirty in the morning, when she stirred and groaned lightly, not liking her internal clock for waking her up that early.

He'd kept to that chair and the window mostly, staring out at the sky as it slowly moved along. He looked around as he heard her groan, smiling slightly. "You're up early."

She made some noise that was half a word and half a groan, getting up and stretching across the bed, eyes barely open. "Bleh... A little too early, but ah well..."

He sat back, stretching his arms out over his head in an almost cute way as he did so. He hadn't moved much in the last few hours and was accordingly stiff. "Where does this guy live anyway? In Asgard?"

Sendra nodded sleepily. "Yeah. Owns a shop here or something..." she muttered, sitting up finally and rubbing her eyes with her forefinger and thumb of one hand. "I doubt I'd miss sleeping, but I know I won't miss waking up." she muttered again, a bit quieter.

Mithos smiled vaguely. "Considering my offer, then?" he asked, watching her.

She paused a second, looking up and a little more alert now. "...I suppose...Considering, though." she said, rolling off the bed and standing with odd speed for one who just woke up.

He continued to watch her, nodding lightly. "That's better then outright refusing, I suppose." he said, smiling.

She glanced over at him, putting her boots on. "And what, exactly, would you do if I refused, eh?"

"Oh, I'd think of something." he said lightly. Honestly, he didn't know exactly what he'd do, though there were experiments going on in Welgaia on memory-erasing...

She shook her head, leaving the thoughts there and attached the sheath to her shirt, glancing at the window.

He still watched her, thinking. "So, to avoid myself being nothing but dead weight to you; is there some way I can help you with this job?"

She blinked, picking up her spear from its spot on the wall. "Mm. If you'd like." she looked him over for a moment. "Yes... you could easily get him out in the open." she muttered, reaching behind her to the small excuse for a pack. She retrieved a rather small, ordinary, black-handled dagger from it, and flipped it in her hand so she held the blade. She extended the daggers hilt towards him. "Y'can use that if you like."

He stared at the dagger, standing up and taking it from her. He flipped it up into the air and let it spin once, catching it by the blade, before rolling it around his wrist and catching by the hilt again. He nodded. "What am I to do to get him out, then?"

She chuckled. "Follow me. I've worked here before and he's pretty much the only man awake at this hour, I'll show you what to do." she said, opening the door and not really bothering to be quiet as she went down the stairs.

He slid the dagger into his belt, safely hidden by his cape, and followed her downstairs. Wondering vaguely why she wasn't trying to be quiet and stealthy, but he figured she knew what she was doing.

Once they were out of the inn, it was rather clear that the town wasn't awake yet, since the sun hadn't even come up. Sendra clicked her tongue for Brunt to follow them, and he did, though he didn't stop until he was near the edge of the town. Sendra instead led Mithos up a set of stairs in front of what appeared to be a line of shops, none of which were open. "One of these is his... :/ Anyway. You're smart enough, just get him to come near you, I'll get him to turn around. Once he's facing away from you, use the dagger, and then move out of the way." she said, nodding to a vacant area in front of the shopping complex.

He nodded in understanding, moving out to the area she'd nodded toward and adopting a lost look. Looking around for both their target and to enhance the effect.

She chuckled, walking towards the shops and laying in front of them, looking like she was asleep, and hiding her spear on the side of her near the wall. Within a few minutes, a way-over "pudgy" man with a very strange looking hat on came out of one of the shops, whistling as he wiped off one of the windows, barely noticing either of them.

Mithos looked around as he heard the man's whistling, and blinked. The man seemed harmless enough. :/ Ah well. He cleared his throat in a pitiful way and called out toward the man. "M-mister!" he said, his act wonderfully convincing as he took on a nervousness to add to his being lost. "C-can you help me? I'm lost and don't have a clue where I am. :("

The man blinked, turning around and staring at Mithos for a moment before waddling over in a most amusing way. "Oh my, you poor thing! This is a dangerous place to be lost in! D: You might fall."

When his back was turned, Sendra stood up quickly. "Oi, you!" she called, causing the man to turn around and stare at her, by now, he was very confused.

Mithos slipped the dagger out of his belt and paused for all of half a second before plunging the blade into the man's spine as high up as he could reach, sidestepping out of the way just afterward. He felt strange about that for some reason, but hey, it was for Sendra's well-being. Better to assist a half-elf then some stupid human.

Before the man could even react to that, there was a rather sickening "chunk" noise, and he fell backwards, Sendra's spear sticking out of his head, right between the eyes. Sendra brushed off her hands. "Simple enough. Thank you. :B"

Mithos stared pitilessly at the man, picking up the strange hat that had landed at his feet before the blood could reach it. "You have an interesting profession, Sendra. :/" he muttered, looking the hat over now.

She chuckled, yanking her spear from the man's forehead. "As I said, it's a profession that doesn't care what I am so long as I do my job well." she said, looking back at the city. "Now, though, is the fun part..."

"Eh?" he asked, looking up from the hat and at Sendra. "Fun part? o.O"

She looked back at him, her face once again looking mischievous "How fast can you run?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Decently. Why?"

She stepped over the walrus-esque corpse, cupped her hands around her mouth and leaned over towards the city. "HELP! HELP! SOMEONE'S DIED!!!" she yelled loudly, echoing off the canyon. She skipped back towards Mithos. "Now's a good time to run" she said, bolting towards the steps.

He looked vaguely shocked for a moment before turning and following her, running nearly as fast as she did and still holding onto the man's hat, though he didn't really realize he was doing so.

Rather than running down the stairs, Sendra merely used her spear to vault down them, landing gracefully on the ground. Brunt trotted over to them, blinking at Mithos and apparently wondering why the mini-biped was still with Sendra. :/ She'd never traveled with anyone else for so long.

Mithos hopped down the stairs two at a time, miraculously not stumbling as he landed on the grass and looked up at Sendra, not out of breath in the least.

She held out a hand to help him onto Brunt, who was looking back into the city. A few very sleepy looking people were poking their heads out of their houses.

Mithos took her hand and hoisted himself onto Brunt's back, looking over his shoulder at the town as well. It wouldn't be sleepy for long...

Sendra didn't so much as look back, getting into the saddle behind him, and Brunt was off like a rocket, out of the town and heading south.

Mithos had expected the speed this time and therefore wasn't as jolted, though he did nearly lose grip of the hat. He held onto it tighter and blinked, looking at the bizarre garment in his hands. "...Why did I grab this?" he asked blankly. Rhetorical question or not, he still had to wonder.

"Eh, I dunno, but its extra proof that the man's dead anyway. Luke usually takes my word on it, though." she spoke over the sound of hoofbeats and rushing wind.

He shrugged, still holding the hat though he had no real reason to. "Where does this Luke person live anyway?"

"He owns a shoe shop in Palmacosta. Not many know what other business he runs out of the place." she replied, watching the approaching mountains.

"Palmacosta?" he asked, wincing slightly. "Palmacosta is a day and a half away. :/"

"Not on Brunt. Only a day away." she chuckled. "It's a trip we make regularly, and as you can probably tell, he's a pretty fast horse. Good with endurance as well, can run at this speed for at least five hours or longer."

"...:/" he didn't like the idea of being on this horse, going this fast, going over Hakonesia peak. Largest mountain on Sylvarant and only way over that mountain range? No thanks. "How about I just take us there?"

"...Uh. How do you intend to do so? o.O;" she doubted he was any faster than Brunt, and how was he intending to get them there that would be any faster? D:

"Stop the horse and I'll just show you. :/" he muttered, not remembering how horrible that stop had been the previous night.

She shrugged. "If ya say so." she mumbled, yanking the reins again. Brunt hadn't expected to be stopped, and the stop was a bit more violent than the one the night before, but he reared up on his hind legs once again, slamming them down to the ground with a thud.

Mithos, twitching, hadn't been expecting a stop like that either, and had mostly-smushed the hat between him and Brunt as he clung to the horse's neck. "...right," he muttered, sitting up straight slowly and stiffly. What a bizarre woman. He closed his eyes and a thin, rainbow-y mist appeared, encircling them. It became thicker quickly, and within five seconds, blocked everything within vision out. It dissipated instantly afterward, and they were all suddenly standing just outside the main pathway into Palmacosta, the large coastal city.

Brunt seemed slightly startled by that, but he got over it quick enough at the sight of a familiar place. Sendra blinked. "...Would I be able to do that, too?" she said, looking around Palmacosta (which seemed a bit more active at this time in the morning than Asgard. A bit.).

"It's possible." he said. "Not all can, but it's quite possible you will be able to teleport with practice."

She shook her head, mind floating to the concept of being an Angel again. She was still rather iffy about it but...she _was_ the curious sort. She shrugged, and Brunt walked through Palmacosta, not having to go too far to get to a relatively normal looking shoe-shop, that appeared to be closed at the moment.

Mithos looked around; the streets were slowly filling as people sleepily set up shop. He paused as he looked at the shoe shop, narrowing his eyes slightly. "This place?" he muttered.

She nodded, not that he could see. "Aye." she said, hopping off of Brunt from behind, not bothering to tie him off in front of the shop. She looked up at Mithos. "Y'wanna come in with me or wait outside:/"

"I'll follow you," he said, sliding off of Brunt and attempting to unflatten the hat somewhat as he walked just beside and behind Sendra, who chuckled, patting Brunt's shoulder twice and walking into the dark shoe-shop. "Oi, Luke. Guess who's back!" she called into the shop. "Ya shouldn't leave the door unlocked! Who knows what thieves could be running off with all these shoes!" she joked.

A gruff-looking, very tall man stepped out from one of the back rooms, polishing a somewhat fancy looking shoe. "What the hell're you doing back so soon? Wasn't 'specting ya until...tomorrow..." he narrowed his eyes at Mithos. "Who's the pipsqueak? Don't tell me yeh're goin' all soft an' motherly on me, Sendra." he smirked.

Mithos, having managed to get the hat looking back to normal, tossed it simply at the tall man's feet. "I am merely accompanying Sendra for a few days." he said, not bothering to pretend to be a small and helpless child but looking sternly up into the man's eyes.

He stared at Mithos still, looking slightly confused but nonetheless suspicious. Sendra chuckled. "Kid's with me; don't worry, he helped." she said, leaning on the counter of the shoe shop. "Wha's his name's dead." she nodded to the hat. "I'd assume whoever it was who wanted 'im gone paid in advance, or am I gonna have to go collect from them? You know how much I hate dealing directly." she said, smirking at Luke, who just chuckled. "Yeh, yeh. I know. Don't like dealing with a half-elf no matter what service you're doing. Nah, he paid. Tell the truth I don't think he wanted to have to deal with you either when I told 'im who my prized girl was." he smirked, reaching under the counter and tossing a rather large and loud bag of gald on the table. Sendra narrowed her eyes, but took it.

Mithos watched wordlessly, eyes narrowed as well. Stupid humans...

"Did he _ask_ what I was, or did you just volunteer information...again?" she asked, glaring darkly. Luke chuckled. "Wha'? Afraid I'll ruin your pathetic excuse for a reputation, Sendra? You know as well as I do that you're good at what you do regardless of what you are, but you ain't gonna be able to get another job." he smirked. Sendra sighed. "Luke, you know I don't like people knowing about me. Must you continue to tell them?" she said, staring at the counter now. Luke laughed. "Wha' difference does it make? Blood's still on your spear and money on your belt." he said, smirking. Sendra sighed, turning to the door. "Yeh, but it makes it harder on me the more people who know." she muttered. Luke appeared to not hear, and he retreated to the back room, chuckling.

Mithos grumbled darkly, following Sendra out of the building. "I don't like that man," he said simply once the door had shut behind him. "He's disrespectful." Mithos didn't notice the sudden, complete and utter lack of anyone in the streets.

She sighed, tying the bag to her belt and not really noticing it either. "I know. Just makes it worse that he's right. I wouldn't be able to get another job, and I can't do anything about him not telling." she said sadly. Brunt seemed to sense this and he nudged her shoulder gently.

"He's just the one who pays me. He likes that I'm efficient, not what I am. Doesn't feel like he has to respect me because he's got a firm hold on my life through my moneybag."

"Seems like a wonderful way of life." Mithos said sarcastically. A shriek from the center of town caused him to look around in alarm. It was then he noticed the total lack of people. "...Uh-oh."

She blinked over in the direction of the shriek. "...What's going on? o.O" she asked no one in particular, petting Brunt's nose.

He didn't answer, merely walked off toward the noise, as there were more shrieks and scuffles breaking out now. In the town center, a good dozen or so people were all being tied up by thuggish Desians in purple clothing, some of the humans looking too scared to say a word, others were fighting.

Sendra followed him, Brunt at her shoulder. She chuckled at the sight of the group of people. "You know, I think I've worked for one or two of those people..." she muttered quietly.

He said nothing, watching emotionlessly as a Desian in a weird hat with a staff addressed the people. He cleared his throat imperiously. "Attention, inferior beings!" he called at the humans, and they all fell silent to watch him in alarm. "You have been selected to become host bodies at the nearby Human Ranch held by Lord Magnius, and as such blah blah blaahhhh..."

Mithos shook his head, sighing. "Best get out of here before they spot us. :/"

She blinked down at him. "Why? Thought you said you controlled the Desians?" she said, though she turned to leave anyway.

"Yes, but those are all low-ranking soldiers and they're unused to seeing me at all, let alone in this form." he muttered, walking alongside her. "They answer to Magnius, who answers to Pronyma, who is my direct subordinate."

"...That last bit was a bunch of gibberish, but okay." she smirked, swinging up into Brunt's saddle and sitting sideways on him as the horse walked beside Mithos. "'Sfar as I know, I don't have another job 'til Luke contacts me again. So."

He chuckled. "I didn't expect you to understand that last sentence. No matter." he paused, looking up at her thoughtfully. "You have a lot of free time, apparently." he mused, thinking about what she'd just said.

"Lucky enough that this business pays well, because seeing as only the well-off can actually pay to have their enemies taken care of; I only really work about two days out of a week. And most of that is traveling." she said, resting her elbows on her knees.

He 'hm'ed lightly. "Interesting. In that case, would you like to take a little trip with me?"

She tilted her head to the side, blinking at him for a second. "Trip...where? o.O;"

He smiled sleekly. "To Derris-Kharlan."


	4. Home of the Angels

Sendra raised an eyebrow. "To where?" she asked. She'd been all around Sylvarant, and she'd never heard of the place. Unless it was on that "alternate world" he was talking about, she'd never heard of it.

Mithos chuckled. "Derris-Kharlan." he said brightly. "The home of the angels."

She didn't look entirely sure about this. "Um. Okay...and that is...where?"

He glanced upward, toward the sky, before looking back at her, still smiling vaguely. "It is the place where the Elves came from," he said just as brightly. He didn't seem to want to elaborate on where or what Derris-Kharlan was.

She stared for a few moments, then shrugged. "Eh. I guess if I'm still considering your offer, might as well go with you." she said, hopping off Brunt, who looked around at the two of them.

Mithos chuckled. "I doubt it would be safe for Brunt, though. Many places to misstep and fall back to Earth..."

She looked over at Brunt for a moment; hesitating before she smiled weakly. "He has been without me before..." she said slowly. "I can leave him with Luke." Brunt apparently noticed how apprehensive she was, and turned around to nudge her shoulder.

"You're sure?" he asked, watching her closely. He could tell she wasn't totally sure about this as well.

She smiled faintly, both horse and rider comforting each other, even if Brunt wasn't very sure what was going on. "Luke knows that if anything happens to Brunt there's hell to pay... He'll be fine, for a while." she looked over Brunt's nose at Mithos. "But I'm coming back to see him as soon as possible." she said, her tone showing that there really was no arguing that.

He half-shrugged, half-nodded. "Of course. Let's take him back to the shoe shop, then."

She nodded, leading Brunt without touching him to the shoe shop. She led him around the side to an alleyway that looked back on the docks of Palmacosta, and tied Brunt there with a loose knot. "I just have to tell Luke he's here." she said, heading for the front of the shop.

Mithos nodded, still aware of Sendra's reluctance. He didn't really want to see that Luke guy again, so he leaned against the wall next to the door on the outside instead.

Sendra didn't really mind him staying outside. She walked into the shop, preparing herself a bit. She began wondering if being an angel would be so bad... "Hey, Luke! I'm gonna leave Brunt here for a bit, a'ight?" she called. Luke returned from the back room again. "Eh?

What for? You always take him with you. Silly animal's like some sort of a security blanket." he chuckled. Sendra did her best to ignore his comments. "I'm not sure how long I'll be gone, but he can't make it where I'm going. I'm trusting you with him, Luke." she said the last sentence slowly, glaring at him. He stared at her a moment before laughing, "Yeah, yeah, I'll take care of your little pony. Can't let my best girl's transportation get hurt anyway, or you'd be slower getting to and from jobs." he mused, still smirking.

Mithos, able to hear the conversation as well as if he'd gone inside, grumbled. He really didn't like this human. :/

Sendra sighed, nodding. "Just take care of him, Luke. If a job comes in, send it off with someone else." she said, shaking her head. "Perhaps you'll make more money if you're working with purebloods anyway." she muttered. Luke apparently heard that, laughing. "Yeah, but they won't be as good as you, baby. Go on and have your fun, or whatever you're doing." he said, disappearing into the back of the shop again. Sendra looked rather defeated when she came out of the shop, muttering to herself. "Does he have to talk about me like I'm an item?" She didn't expect Mithos to have exceptional hearing.

"Apparently so," he said shortly, glaring sideways at the closed door. "Does he treat others like that, or just you?"  
She looked slightly startled that he'd heard her, and took a second to answer. "Eh... Just me more often. Then again, not only am I the only half-elf he works with, I'm the only female he works with." she said quietly.

"That explains it," he muttered. "Seems to be a sexist idiot with no respect for you whatsoever." he sighed gently. "Anyway." he extended a hand toward her, expecting her to take it. "Shall we?"

She shrugged, mind still flitting about how much she might enjoy being among the angels. She took his hand carefully, glancing back at the shop once.

The mist came as before, though faster this time, and vanished at once. The scenery could hardly have changed more. Leaving earth behind completely it seemed, they stood on a platform in the middle of nowhere, nothing but swirling purple and black sky all around. The platform had one wall toward the back of it and several broken and crumbling pillars around the edge, a single throne in the very center of the wall on a raised plinth, set back from the far edge. Decorated elaborately, the plinth had tall statues of no one really recognizable on either side of the throne, gems and carvings all along the wall. Far in the distance, the vague form of a castle could be seen, though there was no visible means of getting to said castle. Mithos gazed outward in the general direction of the castle expressionlessly. "Welcome, Sendra, to Derris-Kharlan..."

She didn't look in the least startled, more interested in what was around her, though she took care to not get too close to the edge of anything. "...This is the home of the Angels?" she asked, staring into a point in the swirly purpleblackness.

"Well... in a sense." he said, smiling vaguely. "We are currently deep within my castle, actually. The castle of Vinheim, which lies in the heart of Derris-Kharlan. Most of the angels live in the Holy City of Welgaia."

She returned her gaze to him for a moment, apparently having to remember that he was some sort of ruler before shrugging. She looked off towards the castle. "...That over there being Vinheim?" she asked, though she was quickly preoccupied by the fact that this platform thing appeared to not even be connected with the castle.

"Yes," he said, nodding. He didn't notice her preoccupation with the lack of connectivity. "I have something to check on in Welgaia, and since I was stupid enough to place teleport barriers on and around the Military areas of the city, we'll have to walk."

She blinked. "Um...walk...right. ...How?" she looked from him to the distinct lack-of pathway between here and Vinheim.

He blinked, glancing at her. "...Oh," he said, chuckling. He waved a hand vaguely and a stone pathway fizzled into life, connecting the castle and platform. "Usually don't bother with the pathway. Teleport-panels are more handy, but hard to see sometimes." he shrugged, not expecting her to understand that. "At any rate, I'll have to remember to drop those barriers since they do more harm then good..."

She stared at the path for a moment, appearing not to hear him. She chuckled "Ahh... I need to stop expecting things to be normal. It's so unlike me anyway." she muttered.

He began walking down the pathway, just expecting her to follow him. He didn't even look around to make sure she was, he just expected it.

It took her a moment to realize he was leaving her behind, but she caught up quickly. Cautious of the pathway at first, the fact that she couldn't see anything was slightly unnerving, but she pushed those thoughts aside.

He looked around when there was only a few feet of pathway left to make sure she was there, then nodded. The large castle loomed above them, enormous doors closed tightly before them.

She followed, twirling once experimentally, to see if she still had her proper balance up here...or something. Or just to be sure she wasn't too freaked out. She looked at the doors, then smirked. She would _not_ allow herself to be surprised at whatever was behind those doors.

Mithos paused at the end of the platform. "Almost forgot," he said lightly, glowing brightly again. Once more in his adult form sans the wings at his back, he sighed. "I get too used to one form and forget to switch. :/" he muttered, waving a hand. The doors parted, swinging inward and toward them. At first it appeared that the doorway led to a room that was white with black polkadots and lined with fur, but that fur shifted and stood up, revealing itself to be an extremely large snow leopard. The demon growled lightly. "Mmm, Lord Yggdrasill. I hadn't expected you to return from that direction." she said in a low rumble, stepping aside and sitting down on one side of the doors, bowing her head to him as he walked by and totally not noticing Sendra in the slightest.

So much for not freaking out. She stared at the leopard for a moment, swallowing. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, and once again had to catch up to Mithos as he walked. Okay. The NEXT freakishly out of the ordinary thing they came up to, THEN she wouldn't freak out.

The doors swung shut again as Sendra passed and the leopard looked up, blinking at the woman in green. She said nothing as she watched them walk, resuming her place before the doors. The angel had continued walking in a straight line toward a slightly raised circle in the very center of the exceptionally large hall. There was an angel or two passing through doors in this hall, plus more angels above on the bridge that connected the upper floors, though not one of them looked around at their head boss.

Sendra followed closely behind him. The sight of angels didn't seem to bug her quite as much, especially because they looked more like what one would expect an angel to be. Ordinary, feathered wings. She wondered what her wings would look like. ...Well...if she chose to become an angel, anyway.

He stopped just before the raised circle, causing her to walk right into him. He took no notice except perhaps confirmation that she was indeed still with him. "This is one of those teleport-panels I mentioned," he said, nodding toward the circle. "Though one that is much easier to see then most of them, as it is frequently used. This will take us to Welgaia."

She ran into his shoulder, as she'd been looking behind her at something. It took her a second to process what he was talking about, being lost in her own thoughts anyway. "Ah... Okay." she nodded, staring at the circle and quite unsure what, exactly, to do.

He looked sideways and down at her, an eyebrow raised. "...Perhaps it's best if I go first so you don't hurt anything once in Welgaia." he muttered. He glanced at the large leopard behind him, trusting her to get Sendra through the portal, and stepped forward onto the circle. He vanished into thin air.

She looked rather surprised at that, and wondered why he looked back at the obscenely large cat-thing behind them. Once he was gone though, she shrugged and slowly stepped onto the circle thing. It looked simple enough anyway. ..

The cat-thing smiled, showing a glinting fang as the circle transported Sendra away. Dropping her just where it'd put the angel just moments before, on a floating platform in the middle of Welgaia. The platform was connected to several other platforms by pathways, and was connected to the main city by other pathways, but dang, it looked like a loooong way down. Her escort was already standing on a neighboring platform, waiting for her with his arms crossed boredly. Severely zoned-out angels floated idly around everywhere.

She had to shake her thoughts lose again and head over towards him, unaware of how bored he looked.

He smirked lightly, uncrossing his arms and walking toward one side of the main city, crossing a couple more platforms to get there. He turned, walking toward a covered walkway with a two-way moving belt inside it. "Reeeeeeally need to shorten the distance that blockade is effective..."

She chuckled, apparently a bit more confident now. "Look at it this way...I get to see more of the city now." she said, smiling. Dude. Those moving belt-thingies look cool.

He stepped onto one of the belts and stopped walking, content to letting it carry them instead of actually walking. He sighed. "I suppose that's true," he said, glancing upward at a group of angels floating by that miraculously hadn't taken notice of him. They all seemed more alert then the angels before had seemed because of their lack of noticing. Leading the small group was a robed, male angel with amber-colored hair, who was currently flying backwards and talking in some strange language to a female angel wearing mostly black. Even her hair and wings were black.

Sendra stopped on the belts as well, barely noticing the group of angels; she was busy staring up at the ceiling. She seemed almost afraid to admit how much she was liking the idea of becoming an angel, and didn't notice how obviously interested she looked in the place.

He watched her, smiling vaguely. He let her stare around in silence for a few moments before speaking. "Liking it up here, are you?" he asked simply, definitely noticing her interest.

She looked slightly startled to hear another voice invade her thoughts, and looked over at him, slightly pink. "Mm... It's interesting, yes..."

He chuckled. "There is much you haven't seen. Vinheim is bigger then one might think, and of course the entirety of Derris-Kharlan isn't to scoff at. Of course, it isn't fit for inhabitation too far out since there are extremely powerful monsters that live there."

"Mm..." she returned to watching the domed 'roof' over Welgaia. "The pros far outweigh the cons of your offer... But surely you can understand how hard it would be to leave Brunt behind." she muttered, changing the subject.

He paused, thinking quickly about that. "It's not like you couldn't go visit him on occasion," he said after a slight pause. "A better place for him then with that disgusting human in Palmacosta could be found, as well."

She chuckled. "Luke... You describe him properly." she muttered quietly, looking over at him once again. "If that is the case then... I suppose I have little other option. I accept your offer, and will join the ranks of the Angels." she smiled.

He gazed levelly at her, taking in her bizarrely-familiar features and trying to see if she was bluffing. "You're certain?" he prompted, glancing to the side just in time to step off of the moving walkway.

She stepped off as well, nodding. "You've seen what my life was. The only thing that was concerning me was leaving Brunt behind. He's been the only one in my life who didn't look at me like I was below him. And he's not even my species." she chuckled. "Yes, I am certain."

He watched her expressionlessly for a moment, then nodded. "Very well." he said, though he sounded slightly surprised at her quick decision. "You will get your Crystal shortly, then." he turned and began walking toward a large white door that whizzed aside after a moment and revealed a short, dark hallway.

She followed him still, though she glanced at his crystal before his back was completely turned. She smirked to herself. What on earth had she gotten into?

The short hallway ended to reveal a large domed area, though not a bit of it was readily visible owing to the frankly huge black fence that obscured everything behind it. He approached the large gates, not even needing to signal to the gatekeepers high above to open them, as they did so automatically the moment they saw who was approaching.

She followed a bit less-closely than before, anticipating him to stop. She tried to pay more attention to where she was going, for undoubtedly she'd have time to look around later.

He said nothing as he walked through the gates, not even sparing the bowing angels a second glance as he walked toward one of the many pathways. One of the angels that seemed to be in charge bowed most deeply and spoke, but was ignored completely. "Lord Yggdrasill, what brings you here... to...day...:/"

Sendra suppressed giggling. Lord Yggdrasill? Wtf? She guessed that that was just a formal name or something, and continued to follow along behind him. D

Once they had entered a deserted hallway, he looked over his shoulder at Sendra as they walked. "I forgot to tell you. It's best if you don't use my first name to address me when you're around other angels." he muttered. "Very, very few people are permitted to do so."

She shrugged, he didn't specifically say that she wasn't allowed to use his first name, though she wasn't below respecting another persons wishes.

He pushed a door open and walked through it, the room beyond bursting into life the moment he'd set foot inside. Panels, monitors, small radio-like devices, electronics of all sizes lines the room, all whirring and clicking, blinking little lights. Several monitors showed points in Sylvarant, the Palmacosta square, the village of Iselia, parts of Luin, even the Triet oasis. Other monitors flashed with visions of Tethe'alla, the large and elegant city of Meltokio, the studious Sybak, woody Ozette. Still other monitors flashed with bizarre symbols that were apparently writing, though it was unrecognizable from anything on earth. Yggdrasill turned and looked seriously at Sendra. "Touch _nothing_. Understood?"

She had been staring at the monitor showing Ozette, but quickly looked back at him, sweatdropping. "Of course. Got no reason to anyway. :/" she said, standing up a little straighter and resuming looking over the monitors.

He turned, satisfied with her reaction, and took to studying the readings several of the panels were giving. He glanced at the monitor showing different parts of Meltokio and 'hmm'ed, tapping a few keys on one of the panels and changing the display.

She assumed the monitors showing places she didn't know where from the other world he had mentioned, attempting to familiarize herself with them.

It was several minutes before he finally sighed, glancing at the Meltokio monitor again. "Definitely time for a shift in power." he muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Tethe'alla is getting a bit too powerful..."

She looked at his back for a second, having to once again remember what he'd told her the night before, before she returned to looking over the monitor showing Sybak.

He turned to face her, glancing at the monitor she was looking at briefly. He smirked. "That's Sybak. The Palmacosta of Tethe'alla, you might say. The city of Scholars."

She blinked. "I suppose that makes sense." she shrugged, looking back at him and smiling faintly. "What now, then?"

"I need to go to Sylvarant and speak with Pronyma," he said, not expecting her to understand a word of what he was saying. "She is the leader of the Desian Grand Cardinals, and is also about to become responsible for getting the Chosen moving on the Regeneration process. I believe she is currently inspecting the ranch near Asgard held by Kvar."

She blinked, some of that was recognizable. "I see... Well let's get to it then!" she smirked, attempting to regain a bit of herself rather than just stand there dumbly.

He blinked, but smirked. "Of course." he said, holding out a hand, the wings on his wrist flicking idly. "To Sylvarant."

She blinked at his wrist wings for a second, then took his hand, nodding. "To Sylvarant."


	5. Green and Sparkily

He smirked wider, twisting his hand slightly so the feathers brushed against her wrist. Once again, the rainbow mist surrounded them, fading away again quickly. They suddenly outside a gigantic black building which just screamed "forbooooode" at them.

She blinked at the feathers again. Trying very, very hard to not go "e;;;;" at them, and looked at the building. "...Looks like a nice place to take a holiday."

He had to suppress a laugh. "I doubt the humans inside feel that way..." he muttered, as the doors before them slid open and an **blue**-and-black clad thug stepped out. "Hey, who're... OO;;;... L-lord Yggdrasill, what brings you here? oo" were his exact words as he spotted just who had came upon this particular ranch. Yggdrasill didn't so much as blink at the Desian's reaction. "I need to see Pronyma. Was that not obvious?"

Sendra bit her lip to keep from smiling at the Desian. Yggdrasill. BEST. TOUR GUIDE. EVAR.

The Desian seemed to feel that he couldn't move quickly enough as he ran back inside, skirting the halls in search of the leader of the ranch, Kvar, who was currently showing Pronyma around. Yggdrasill stepped inside calmly, looking bored at this point

Sendra followed him closely, once more looking around and taking in her surroundings.

Yggdrasill stared boredly down the hall the Desian had vanished down, then looked around at the door that lay shut before them. "Three... two..." he counted slowly. The very second he said "One," the doors slid open and a woman with green hair and a very odd wing... metal... thingy... around her walked out, immediately kneeling before Yggdrasill. "What is it you need, my lord?" she asked, not noticing Sendra at all.

Sendra watched the two, perfectly fine with not being noticed. So long as some nitwit didn't think she'd escaped or something.

"A shift in power is needed," he said at once, and Pronyma looked up in amazement. "Already?" she asked, "Tethe'alla hasn't been getting the most of the Mana for that long. oo;"

Yggdrasill glared for a moment, clearly annoyed at being interrupted. Pronyma took the hint and looked at her foot again, listening. He continued. "Tethe'alla has already begun development of technologies I do not want them in possession of. I'm leaving it to you to make sure the chosen of Sylvarant is ready within five months; she's old enough anyway. Understood?"

Pronyma nodded. "Yes, sir," she said, chancing another glance up. This time she spotted Sendra, and her eyes widened. "...Someone escaped?!"

"...No." Sendra said, half-darkly, half-sarcastically.

Pronyma stood up, glaring at Sendra, but she stopped before she managed to say anything, slowly turning her head to look at Yggdrasill. He nodded. "She's with me. Neither you nor any of the other Cardinals are allowed to lay a FINGER on her. Understood?"

Pronyma stared, mouth slightly agape as the looked back at Sendra. "Of... course... My lord..." she said very slowly, her voice getting meeker with every word.

Sendra smirked. She already didn't like this Pronyma person.

He turned his back on Pronyma, and headed for the door that led outside. "Five months, Pronyma. I'll be watching." he said shortly, extending his hand once again for Sendra to take.

Sendra took it, trying very hard not to stare at his wings this time. She tried to look composed and dignified, though the way she was smirking sort of killed that.

The mist came and died again and they stood in a dark room, stone walls and bookcases galore. A large squishy-looking couch stood in the center of the room, and a few minimal torches burned in their brackets on the wall, casting a dim glow around the room. He turned to face her, looking her right in the eye. "Now..." he said slowly, again with the air of half expecting her to run away cackling from him at any moment. "You're absolutely sure you wish to become an Angel?"

"'Cuz there's no turning back and all that stuff. I know. And... yes." she said, not sounding uncertain. He sounded iffier on the decision than she did.

Yggdrasill looked at her for a moment longer before looking away, at his outstretched arm. There was a flash of light and he opened his hand, revealing a small shimmering sphere. Tiny beams of light swirled around it, giving it a slight glow as he held it at her eye level. "Your Cruxis Crystal, then." he said quietly. "A key crest will be needed, of course..."

"Key crest?" she blinked. She trusted him enough to figure that whatever it was wouldn't do damage, but she had no idea what it was, so.

He smiled slightly. "It's what keeps the Crystal under control." He placed a finger on his own crystal. "Very temperamental, they are. Key Crests are special holders that are made out of special material, allowing you to access all the good that comes with the crystal with none of the bad."

"Oh. Well yes, I'd guess that's needed, then. o.O; And where would we get them?"

His smile widened as he raised his other hand. "We're lucky enough to actually have one now..." he said, and another flash of light later a golden metal device appeared in his hand, a hole in the center of it where the Crystal went. He placed the Crystal in the center and the device whirred about for a moment, glowing as the energy from the Crystal surged through the Key Crest. He then held it out for her to take.

She reached out for it, slightly confused "...Now what?"

He nodded very lightly to the device in her hand. "Place it near the junction of your collarbone. It'll bind on its own."

She took it and placed it where he said to. She wore a v-neck shirt, so it was easy enough. It took a moment, but the crest bonded to her skin rather easily. She moved her hand away once it was firm and looked down at it, frowning slightly. Well that's strange.

He nodded, smiling slightly again. "Feel any different?" he asked, curious, as it had been so long since he first got his own crystal...

"Not much, I hardly feel it there." she said, reaching up and undoing her ponytail to re-tie it. Not that it really mattered, since she tied it just as loose as it'd been before.

He nodded. "You'll gradually find yourself being able to do more things, I'm sure." he said, turning and walking toward the couch in the middle of the room. "I couldn't do anything special when I had first acquired mine, I remember that. Though the lack of sleep bothered me vaguely..."

"And how do you do things now?" she asked, poking the crystal a bit.

He flopped onto the couch, looking slightly worn out. "I'm not sure what you mean." he said, cracking his neck and glancing at her again. "How I do what?"

"...I dunno. Angel-y stuff." she said, taking her own seat on the floor, with her spear over her legs.

He closed his eyes, contemplating what exactly she meant. He raised one arm slightly and flexed the fingers vaguely, causing the torches on the wall to burst into more of a life, cutting the semi-darkness like a knife. "Any of it is difficult to explain at this point." he said. "I might have been able to do it a couple millennia ago, but not now..." he smiled, opening one eye and looking at her. "Can you feel the presence of wings yet?"

She stared for a moment, not quite sure what he meant. Although when she thought about it, she did feel something that definitely wasn't there before. "I think so."

He sat up, and as he did so, his own large sparkling wings came into appearance, casting a purplish glow on everything in the near vicinity. "You've got the same kind of wings I have, I can tell. You'd already have wings out if you got the normal, boring feathered ones."

She thought for a moment, concentrating a bit on the weird feeling in her back; like something was there, it was just invisible. After a moment there was a faint flicker of green behind her, she couldn't keep it there quite yet. Wow, she felt stupid.

He smiled widely, watching. "That's it!" he said, sliding off the couch to kneel in front of her. "Try again. Concentrate, now..." he wasn't entirely sure why he felt so strongly about this woman, maybe just the way she looked... that was still pretty unnerving, she looked... just like someone else he knew.

She blinked at him. Uncharacteristically...hyper. Almost caring. Fatherly? Hm. Eh well. She concentrated again, and the green flickered behind her once more, but for longer. She tried again, and the wings stayed there. Sparkly green wings.

He nodded absently, gazing at her wings. "Wonderful..." he said quietly. "Wings like those are rare. Only individuals from very specific bloodlines possess such wings..." he kept staring at her wings, amazed. Sendra was definitely NOT on any records of the Mana line, wtf mate...

She could move them a bit, though she was unused to flying so she wasn't about to try. She watched him, blinking at his sudden change in demeanor.

He flicked his wings and they sparkled even more as he looked back at her face. Any who knew him well would have sensed a small change, a flicker of... life behind his eyes. "Care to test them out?"

She blinked again. "That's one thing I'm unused to..." she muttered, looking pretty apprehensive.

"How're you going to get used to it if you don't try?" he asked, his own wings fading away as he stood up, a hand outstretched to help her to her feet. "Come on. What harm could it do? I doubt even if you fall you'd get much of a bruise, the stamina boosts those crystals give is astonishing..."

She shrugged a bit, taking his hand and standing up. "Well, I guess. Just 'cause I'm not used to it doesn't mean I won't try."

He nodded, keeping a grip on her hand. "Just try hovering first." he said, wings appearing again. He beat them just a few times and became airborne, hovering six or seven inches from the floor. "It becomes second nature if you do it enough."

She nodded, twitching her wings a bit until she got used to them moving, then moving a bit faster and she felt herself rise. "oo Whoa."

He let go of her hand once she was in the air, seeing if she trusted herself enough to keep herself airborne. He seemed to be enjoying himself, teaching her how to be an angel.

She kept herself airborne, moving her legs a bit; it was weird, feeling nothing below them and the weight being supported by her shoulders.

He fluttered back from her a few inches, smiling again. "Very good. It's weird at first, I know, but you get used to it. Wait until six or seven days pass by and you haven't been able to sleep at all, then you'll feel weird."

"Well... If we have no need for sleep, why is it odd? If we don't need it, we shouldn't feel tired. o.O"

He contemplated for a moment. "We don't actually feel tired. It's more the aesthetics of it, the fact that you're NOT spending eight to ten hours of your day asleep." he paused. "Well, I shouldn't say that. It IS possible for an Angel to sleep, but the physical strain that needs to be placed on them to become tired enough to doze off is immense."

"Ah. Well that doesn't sound too bad." She said... Contemplating again how /weird/ wings are.

He smiled, amused at her optimism. "Not too bad now, maybe. You may just find yourself in amazement in two or three weeks at how very slow they have gone because you didn't sleep through half of it."

"I'd prefer it longer...Life's too short as it is." Sendra muttered, daringly moving to one side in the air and still watching him. "Is it me, or have you suddenly just gotten more personable in the last few minutes?"

Yggdrasill paused, blinking once at her, before speaking. "Ah..." he blinked again. "I suppose that is... possible. You sort of remind me of... my sister." he muttered. "Anyway, life is going to be a lot longer for you now." he said, quickly changing the subject back to what it was before. "You've got time to kill and the world at your fingertips."

She stared at him for a moment longer, an eyebrow raised, before nodding and letting him have the subject shift. "Sounds fun. :D" She said, laughing a little. "But I see what you mean."

He smiled vaguely, drawing shapes in the air in front of him with little lights from his fingers with a once again blank look in his eyes. "Lots and lots of time..." he muttered, almost inaudibly.

"You sound like you get bored often." She said, smirking at him and stating the obvious.

"I've spent the last three thousand years formulating plans that have not yet managed to come to fruition. I've searched my mind from back to front so many times for new thoughts and ideas I can't tell back to front of it anymore. Can you blame me for getting bored easily?" he said dryly.

"Not really." She said, though she fluttered a little higher off the ground, getting used to the feeling of flying.

He smirked slightly, watching her. "You seem to be adapting quickly." he said, tilting his head slightly. "Are you always this versatile, or it that a product of the Crystal as well?"

"It comes with the job." She said, going in very small circles and trying not to knock anything over.

"You won't have to do that job anymore, you know." he said, putting his hands behind his head absently. "Can if you want to, I suppose, but as we don't exactly need gald up here..."

"Eh, I can find something new to do." She said, still flitting around absently.

"Like what?" he asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice. Surely, she wouldn't want to be another angel of Cruxis...

She shrugged. "I'm fairly resourceful, I'm sure I can find a place."

"Do you... plan on remaining in Sylvarant, then?" he asked, watching her. "Back on earth?"

She shrugged again. "I'd say I go wherever my job takes me, but that doesn't exactly fit in here. So I'll say this: I'll stay wherever I feel I need to be."

He said nothing, merely nodded slightly to show he understood. There was no way he'd admit it, but he didn't exactly want her to leave. He hadn't had any fun in ages and ages, and she was kinda cool. Not to mention... familiar.

She held up her hand and examined it. "Will I have wings on my wrists, too?" She asked, feeling kinda strange asking it but asking nonetheless.

He blinked. "I'm actually the only one I've ever seen them on. It's possible, I suppose."

She shrugged, putting her hand down and landing on the floor again. "So, what do we have to do now?"

He looked down at her, not bothering to land as well. "I'm not sure what you mean." he said, tilting his head to the side again.

"Anything else you have to check up on?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Not at the moment. There's not much to do as of yet, the chosen of Sylvarant won't be ready to make the world regeneration for a few weeks at the absolute least." He sighed, landing finally, the wings at his back fading but the ones on his wrists remaining. "I wonder how much fun Kratos will have with this Chosen..."

"Hm?... What does Kratos have to do with the Chosen?" she asked, folding her arms and doing her best not to be distracted by her wings flitting in and out of her peripheral vision.

"Occasionally, I will send Kratos to guide the Chosen along their journey." he said, watching her idly. "Depending on how important said Chosen is. It is rather needed that this one succeed."

"Because...Tethe'alla has been getting mana for long enough, right?" she had gathered at least that much from previous conversations, though she had to remember the name of the world she wasn't from.

"Correct," he smirked at her. "Very good. You seem to be a fast learner indeed..."

"So long as I have something to learn anyway." she shrugged. "Who's the Chosen, then?"

He sighed, closing his eyes momentarily and finally landing. He sat back on the couch, thinking as his wings faded away. "...I believe her name is Alicia," he muttered, eyes still closed. "I never pay attention to their names."

She glanced at her own wings once; that was a little distracting. Shiny green things blinking out of the corner of your eye? She hoped she'd get used to it soon. D:

He opened one eye and peered at her, smirking after a moment. "You can put your wings away as well, you know."

She blinked a couple times. "...I knew that." she muttered. Well no duh, he'd just made his disappear _right in front of her_... Though now for the problem of_ how_. She had a vague idea but...this was still very, very new.

He chuckled lightly. "Just do the reverse of what you did to get them." he said, opening both eyes now to watch her.

Gee like that wasn't obvious. She narrowed her eyes at the floor and her wings faded, she was blushing faintly at her own stupidity but she tried not to notice. "I guess I'm not quite used to them yet... :/"

"You just got them," he shrugged lightly. "To be expected... What with wings like that anyway." he stared at where one of her sparkly wings had been before. Very curious indeed...

Sendra's blush receded finally, she looked around the room once and then back at him. "...So what now:/"

He frowned. "I suppose there must be something to keep you occupied..." he muttered, narrowing his eyes lightly at her. "As I said, there isn't much to do at the moment. Once the Chosen begins her journey there will be much to focus on, but for the moment, there's a lull. Waiting for Martel's vessel to arrive is long and boring between Chosens..."

"Mmhmm. Then let me ask again. If there is nothing to be done, what should we do now?" she smiled, clasping her hands behind her.

His head fell backwards in exasperation and hit the back of the couch. "You miss my point, perhaps. There's nothing to _do_."

She closed her eyes a moment, before opening one eye and peering at him, quiet for a few seconds. "Ah... The Sylvarant chosen, how close might she be to Martel's signature?" she asked, flipping the subject around.

He raised his head back up and peered critically at her. "...I have somewhat high hopes for her. Why do you ask?"

She shook her head a second, letting her arms fall back to her sides. "Wondering... Is she any closer than other Chosens have been in the past?"

"It's difficult to say." he said, still watching her closely, eyes narrowed somewhat. "Those of the Mana Line that become Chosens all have extremely similar signatures. This one is slightly different from many in the past, if it is closer or not, I can't say."

"And the signature has to be close enough to Martel's for that Chosen to become her vessel?" she asked, tilting her head up and to the side lightly.

"It has to be exact." he muttered. "Or, as far as I can tell, it does. What with all the Chosens that have tried and failed in the past..."

"...What if her vessel's signature is crafted to match hers exactly?" she had no idea if what she was thinking was even possible, let alone if it had or had not been tried before, but it was what her mind lead her to.

He frowned at her. "That would require crafting the entire being." he said slowly. "And I am not sure that would be entirely possible..."

She shrugged. "It...may be something to look in to...Perhaps a Dwarf could manage it? I know they are skilled in many things." she refrained from mentioning the amazingly lifelike if not of a smaller size clockwork toys that were Dwarven craftmanship she had seen in Palmacosta, as she assumed that this was more than likely very different.

He stared at her, still frowning gently, though intrigued now. "I... suppose it would be worth looking into..." he said slowly. "It would be a long process, even if it is deemed possible. Creating an artificial being... hm..."

She shrugged again. "I had thought of that when you first explained all this to me, but I had doubted if it was possible...But the line between possible and impossible fuzzed a bit for me." she smiled faintly.

He nodded vaguely. "Yes... I can imagine. Dwarves are few and far-between these days, but they won't be difficult to find... they already make Key Crests for us. What will an artificial being be to them but a challenge?" he smirked. "Yes..."

She was quiet for the moment, folding her hands behind her once more as she watched him. Somewhat confused about what he was babbling about, but she kinda doubted he was talking to her anyway. Don't wanna interrupt his evil mastermind moment.

He seemed to snap back to reality after a moment, blinking at her. "Ah. That is an interesting idea, Sendra. I had thought of similar things in the past, but never thought them truly possible... I thank you."

She blinked at him once or twice, then shrugged. "Eh, just...what I thought of. Glad I could help, in whatever miniscule way."

"It may not be miniscule in the end." he said, already running things over in his mind. "Won't know until it is tried and tried again."

Sendra grinned slightly. "We'll see." she said, shifting to stand more on her right leg.

He was lost in thought by now, staring intently at nothing in particular as he ran things over and over again in his mind. After a few moments, he nodded to himself and stood, looking back at Sendra. "Feel like meeting one of the Seraphim, then?"


	6. Stinkoman! Yay!

He was lost in thought by now, staring intently at nothing in particular as he ran things over and over again in his mind. After a few moments, he nodded to himself and stood, looking back at Sendra. "Feel like meeting one of the Seraphim, then?"

"... What?" She raised an eyebrow at him. What's a Seraphim? D:

He stared. "...Oh." he chuckled. "The Seraphim; leaders of Cruxis. Myself, Yuan, and Kratos."

"...Oh!" Again, she's bugger horrible with names. "...Sure, then. I'm sure I'll end up meeting them at some point anyway."

Smirking, he nodded. "Likely. However, I don't feel like attempting to locate Yuan at this point, so I'll make some other angel do it." he spoke as he crossed the room, placing his hand on a strange mirror-like device on the wall, though it didn't reflect anything. Within seconds, a male, white-winged, armored angel carrying a long-bladed spear appeared with a flash of light, bowing at once before Yggdrasill. "Yes, my Lord?"

Sendra turned to watch them, again letting her arms fall to her sides. When she actually remembered, she was curious about the other two Seraphim.

Yggdrasill stared down blankly at the bowing angel. "Locate Yuan and bring him here." he said simply. "Now."

The spear-wielding angel vanished with a nod, off to locate his blue-haired superior.

Sendra smirked. "You know, tough luck getting me to do that." she said, looking at him slyly.

"...Do what?" he said, looking at Sendra and blinking, quite clueless.

"Bow." she clarified, shaking her bangs away once. Darn them, silly hair!

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh, really." he said flatly. "Why is that?"

"Because I don't see a need to. To bow is to say that who you are bowing to is superior to yourself." she explained, half-shrugging. "If I already acknowledge you as a leader, I don't see a need to do so."

He frowned somewhat, gazing at her critically. "I see." he said simply, apparently trying to figure out whether that was acceptable or not. He seemed to decide it wasn't something to be picky over after a moment, for he shrugged. "Very well. :/"

She grinned. "So long as I still obey your words, what does it matter if I bow or not? It is unnecessary."

"To me and you, perhaps." he said slowly. "To the rest of those who fall under my rule... you would be seen as disrespectful."

"Mm. While I am not one to actually care about such things, perhaps I can try to look more respectful around others." she shrugged. "Don't count on me to stare at the floor for someone else's sake, however."

He smirked, folding his arms over his chest as he watched her. "Very well. I'll have to remember that in future..."

"The floor's usually pretty boring anyway." she smiled, shifting again to stand on her left leg now. She looked around the room once, eyes locking on a window. She looked outside the window into the swirling purpley blackness for a moment, looking somewhat...confused by it?

"I'll take your word on that." he said, glancing at the window but not registering her confusion. "I have to wonder why there are even windows in this castle. Not like there's ever anything interesting to look at."

"...Uhuh." she said distractedly, looking back at him. "...Where, exactly, is Derris-Kharlan?" she asked. She had noticed the swirlyness before but she hadn't registered that it did not look like anything she'd seen on earth...Or Sylvarant, anyway.

He smirked at her. "Derris-Kharlan is a comet, held in suspension above the worlds of Tethe'alla and Sylvarant. While you've never seen the Tower of Salvation in your lifetime, it is a great tower that stretches from the center of either world, leading eventually to Welgaia."

She nodded, glancing at the window once more. She absolutely refused to let herself be even a little bothered by the fact that she was technically in space right now. Nope. Not weird at _all_. x:

He watched her, still smirking. "You seem awfully calm about that fact."

"That's because I'm trying _very hard to be_." she muttered, shaking her head once and tearing her eyes away from the window.

"Aah," he chuckled. "I see. You'll get used to it after a while." he glanced toward the door with a hint of annoyance. "And I have to wonder why Yuan is so slippery. Kratos is never difficult to find."

"Would hope I get used to it." she muttered, following his eyes to the door for a second. "Perhaps Yuan just has more to do?" she shrugged, knowing very little about Yuan and Kratos, that was all she could say.

He narrowed his eyes lightly, then sighed. "I suppose. Really, he just blocks his Mana signature most of the time so he's damn near impossible to track down."

She shrugged again, having little else to say, she took a second to make her wings appear. She watched them for a second. Curious, they looked almost flimsy. No visible muscle... Or anything else that made them look like anything short of magical energy.

He watched her for lack of anything else interesting, pushing Yuan's annoying-to-find-ness to the back of his mind. He smiled slightly as he stared at the bright green sparklyness that was her left wing. "Still find them strange?"

"...To an extent." she said, wings fluttering a little faster to get her floating. "Just odd, suddenly having two extra extremities. :/"

He chuckled, but was stopped from saying anything by a flash of light in the center of the room. A man in a long black cloak with odd blue hair pulled back into a ponytail stood where the light had been, his back to Sendra. He bowed lightly before Yggdrasill, who was frowning in the newcomer's direction. "Yuan." he said, narrowing his eyes lightly. "Why is it that you are so hard to get hold of?"

Sendra blinked, though from this direction she found his hair the most interesting thing. Jeez, did all the Seraphim have longer hair than her:/

Yuan grumbled lightly. What a warm welcome. :/ "I have things to do, my Lord, you know that." he said, straightening and crossing his arms. "What did you need me for?"

Yggdrasill raised an eyebrow, glancing at Sendra for a moment before looking back at Yuan. "Two reasons. The first of which is behind you."

Sendra raised an eyebrow at that, landing. She shook her bangs away as one of them was threatening to cover her left eye.

Yuan turned sharply and froze, staring at Sendra. He blinked a couple times, his eyes wide, before swallowing and turning more properly so he was facing Sendra now. "...Who are you?" he finally managed to say, sort of dumbfounded.

She looked somewhat confused about his reaction. Her outfit wasn't THAT green. She shrugged it off and replied. "Sendra Grael. Pleased to finally meet you, Yuan."

He nodded, still looking kind of shocked. "Y-yes..." he said, nodding shortly. Yggdrasill spoke from behind him, making Yuan jump slightly. "Sendra here is one I found escaping the Elven village of Sylvarant as it burned. Quite the interesting individual, as you can plainly see..."

Sendra smiled, folding her arms. "You flatter me." she said, once again fighting to not be distracted by her own damn wings.

Yuan nodded, not paying attention to what Sendra had said at all. "Indeed. Striking..." he looked over his shoulder at Yggdrasill, frowning lightly. "She has the wings of Mana, which is even more striking."

"I intend to look into that later." he said, painfully aware that this conversation would make no sense at all to Sendra and almost preferring it that way.

She merely blinked a few times. Indeed confused by that but she decided she'd probably find out later. After all, her already long half-elven lifespan had been lengthened by the crystal on her neck. She was quiet for now, watching the other two.

Neither man was paying any attention to Sendra now, conversing with one another.

"There are no records of this?" Yuan asked, brow furrowed. Yggdrasill shook his head. "None that I am aware of. I haven't gotten the chance to check properly yet. Rest assured that I will."

Yuan nodded, glancing at Sendra once before looking quickly away, weirded out now. "You said there was more then one reason you summoned me?"

"Ah... that has to do with Sendra as well." Yggdrasill inclined his head toward her.

She blinked, looking up now that the conversation _miiight_ make a bit more sense. Might. She was perfectly content to just let Yuan twirl around in attempt to look at both her and Mithos at the same time, however. Which he was doing wonderfully, looking back and forth between Sendra and Yggdrasill, the bangs that obscured the entire right half of his face not seeming to get in his way at all. ":/ Oh really?"

"Yes. She brought forward the idea of artificially creating a vessel for Martel."

Yuan froze, staring at Sendra. "...did she...?"

Sendra shrugged. "I suppose." she didn't seem to care that that question probably wasn't aimed at her, but she was gonna answer it anyway!

Yggdrasill smirked at her while Yuan's back was turned. "I am not sure of the details of what that would entail, but I would say that the Dwarves are the only ones with the skill to do something like that."

Yuan looked around, expression unreadable. "Shall I assume, then, that you wish for me to look into contacting a trustable dwarf and getting research started, then?"

"You read my mind."

Sendra slumped slightly, watching the two of them with a less-than interested look now. It would seem that she had a lot to learn, as she felt like this entire conversation should be making sense to her.

Yuan nodded. Wonderful, another thing to do. :/ He didn't let his annoyance show, however. "Was there anything else you needed then, my Lord?"

Yggdrasill shook his head. "No. You may go back to whatever you were doing before. I'd like a way to get a hold of you easier in future, though."

Yuan grimaced, turning his back on his superior to face Sendra. "I can't promise that..." He looked Sendra in the eye and was silent for a moment, before nodding. "I imagine we'll see much of each other in time."

"Oh, probably. It would be rather strange if I never saw you again." she smirked, and...Well, she didn't so much 'wave' as 'twitch three fingers in a wave-esque motion'.

Yuan stared for a moment, nodded once more, and vanished into thin air. Yggdrasill smirked at Sendra. "What did you think of him?"

"I have to wonder, does Kratos also have longer hair than I do?" she smiled, making it sound horribly like that was the only thing she noticed.

He paused. "...No." he said, tilting his head to the side in slight confusion. "Was that the only thing that permeated that head of yours?"

She laughed. "No, but it was the most significant. It's not a stretch to figure that I understood about a third of the entire conversation."

"I'm surprised you understood that much of it, to be honest." he said, smiling lightly.

"Well if you want to get technical, I understood most if not all of the individual words. Just not strung together in a sentence." she smirked, shifting her arms a little bit and cracking her shoulders.

That actually made him laugh, grinning widely. "I see. Well, it's the stringing together of the words that makes a difference, after all, so I'm not that concerned."

"Mm. Whatever makes you happy, then." she said, looking down at the band around her left wrist. "So. Are we immortal or...?" She asked, changing the subject again.

He shook his head. "Not... totally..." he said. "Our souls are bound to our crystals. So long as the crystal exists, we exist. The only problem with that is we cannot live outside of the crystal without a body. If our physical being is taken away, but the crystal isn't destroyed..." he paused, all traces of amusement gone now. "We merely fade away, over a long stretch of time."

"Ah. But do we need to breathe?" She asked.

He grinned. "Have you been breathing for no particular reason for the past hour or so? Yes, we need to breathe."

"Phooey. I thought it was habit." She said.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Nope. Not sure what happens if we're drowned, though..." he blinked. "We'd still have a body... but not a working one, I suppose..."

"Uh...huh. o.O; And how would that work?"

"I'm... not totally sure..." he said slowly. "We haven't had much opportunity for drowning, as there is no water on Derris-Kharlan. Might be something to find out. What _would_ happen..."

"And would there be a way to bring someone back were they to drown?" She said, laughing a little.

"Only under extremely delicate circumstances." he said shortly.

She stared "...And that means?"

He smirked. "It would be extremely hard to bring anyone who had drowned back to life. It's complicated and delicate; it would take a long time to accurately explain it..."

"Something relatively like bringing Martel back?"

"...Yes." he said. "Finding a soul that matches the one who died nearly perfectly, converting them into an angel, and getting them here is all extremely difficult. Well..." his smirk widened slightly. "The finding of the proper being, anyway. The angel transformation just takes a few years for them to grow old enough that they can make the regeneration journey."

"Ah. Well I don't think I'll test drowning, then."

"Good," he said simply. "I'd not want to have to save you too."

She laughed. "You would?"

He paused. He opened his mouth once to say something, but closed it again, blinking. "...Possibly. Depends on if you're easier to find a body for then Martel is. :"

She laughed. "I'm flattered you'd even consider it. But I rather like my body as it is now. :"

"Then don't go into any large bodies of water without knowledge of how to swim well." he said, smirking again.

She snorted loudly. "Ah, that we won't have to worry about."

He nodded. "So, a change of subject. Were there any loose ends on earth you'd want to deal with, having become an angel and all?" he asked, a once again blank expression on his face. "Perhaps telling your former on-and-off boss that he'll have to find a new person to take care of his problems for him?"

"Ah, he'll get along on his own, I wasn't the only one. Just the best." she said, messing with the leather handgrip around her spear. "Although if we could go back and do something about Brunt..."

He nodded. "I'm sure you'll agree by now that neither Derris-Kharlan nor Welgaia are suitable places for a horse..." he said slowly. "But should there be a safe place for him where you could visit him at times, that may work."

"I know a place." She said, cracking her neck.

He nodded and extended a hand toward her. "Let's go see Brunt, then." he said, smiling. "...I'll need to teach you how to teleport afterwards."

"...That'll be fun, I'm sure. Though shouldn't you be a kid again, and shouldn't I get rid of these?" she nodded back to her green wings.

"...Right." he said, lowering his hand briefly. He transformed into the smaller version of himself, then grinned up at Sendra sheepishly. "As I said, I forget to transform sometimes."

Sendra's wings faded away in a few seconds, and Mithos nodded, still smiling. "Good!" he said, extending a hand again. "I'll take us to the edge of Palmacosta. Best not to appear right next to him, might spook him. And of course, appearing in the middle of town would be bad."

She nodded, while he wasn't spooked easily, it would be rather strange to have your rider and friend appear next to you. She took his hand and actually paid attention to him this time.


	7. She is nuts, man

Mithos closed his eyes and the mist surrounded them again, disappearing almost at once. They stood on the outskirts of the large costal city, the streets empty and windows dark. It was clearly late at night.

Sendra jogged through the city and looked back down the alley she'd stowed Brunt before. He was standing there, still awake, and his eyes lit up when he saw her. She laughed quietly and whistled. He pulled loose of his tie easily, again, and trotted circles around them both happily. "You goofball horse." she muttered laughing.

Mithos smiled slightly, watching the horse circle. "Where is it you had in mind for him, Sendra?" he asked, looking at her.

"Nowhere you'll know of, so I doubt we can teleport." She said, grabbing Brunt's reins and he stopped on a dime.

He paused. "...You're not getting me on that horse again. Not the way YOU steer." he said, crossing his arms and glaring at her. "Besides, there are no points on either world I am not familiar with. Just tell me where to go, and we can be there in a heartbeat."

She laughed. "You steer, then. I'll just tell you which direction to head in. I have no way to describe the place I have in mind for you, anyway."

He neither spoke nor move for a moment, just glared. He glanced at the reigns in her hand and closed one eye, looking cross. "I wouldn't have the faintest clue what to do." He looked back at her, both eyes open again. "How about a compromise? Tell me the nearest city to this place, and I can take us there. Then I'll get on if you promise to stop like a normal person, rather then one with a death wish."

"But death wishes are fun. D:" she whined. "...Okay, fine. Luin, and I promise to not pull any stops like that."

He looked at her for a moment longer, before nodding. He extended a hand, which she took, and placed the other hand on Brunt's flank. In a flash, they stood just outside of a peaceful-seeming village situated on the bank of a large and lovely lake. Mithos sighed, stepping forward and climbing onto the horse. "I'll hold you to that. You have no idea what I can do to you if you don't keep that promise."

"No, but I can imagine it. You being the all-powerful being you are." She said, throwing herself onto Brunt behind him and starting off before he could blink, going very fast in a short amount of time. All she promised to do was not stop like a maniac. Never said she couldn't ride like one.

He froze, pressed back into her momentarily from the shock of starting out at such a fast pace. "...Should have worded differently..." he mumbled, leaning forward so he wasn't pressed into her stomach. Couldn't rightly do anything about her riding like that...

She smirked. "Yes, you should have. Sorry, couldn't resist it." she said, still grinning ear-to-ear. "HYAH!!" she said, and the speed was increased. Oh, this was fun.

He was having a hard time keeping himself from lunging forward and gripping the horse for dear life. As it were, he kept himself as composed as possible for the rate of speed they were going at. "Is the place we're headed to far from here?" he asked, having to raise his voice slightly due to the rushing wind and stamping hooves.

"Not too much. And don't worry; this isn't that much different from flying. And I mean flying, not fluttering a few feet." She said, keeping the pace and not going any faster.

"Other then the whole thing with our ride being able to trample us to death should we fall..." he muttered darkly, staring ahead.

"We'd be ten feet behind him by then. And, notice that my arms are right beside you. You won't fall."

He said nothing, knowing she was right but still not totally liking the speed and recklessness they were going at.

A forest was rapidly approaching, and they weren't entering it on a path. She grinned. "Hold on to your nuts, this is the fun part!" she said over the sound of hooves as Brunt dived into the trees and zigzagged around them. They were well below the branches, so they weren't hit, but to someone who wasn't paying attention, the force of the zigzags would throw them off balance.

He really did lunge forward and cling to Brunt's neck, but that was more out of shock of the zigzags then anything. "Are you INSANE?" he cried, not sounding happy at all.

She was having to hold in laughter. "YES!" she replied, sounding absolutely giddy. Brunt jumped over a log and they rose up off the saddle for a split second.

He winced slightly, clinging all the tighter to the horse. He trusted Brunt, the mad woman behind him... not so much at the moment...

After a minute or two of trees and nothing but, the trees just kinda stopped and were feet behind them. They'd reached a clearing, in which there was a large, crystal-clear lake. Sendra turned sharply before they went into the shallows of the water and circled a bit, going slower and slower until they stopped on the bank. The place was right beautiful when you look at it.

Mithos sat up straighter once they had stopped, looking around. "I thank you for the stop... Can't say the rest of the ride was at all enjoyable..." he said, voice shaking very slightly.

"You need a sense of adventure." She said, throwing her leg around and dismounting. She held up a hand to help Mithos off. "Need some help getting off:"

He glared for a moment, before hopping off the horse without so much as looking at her hand. "Don't you dare patronize me." he said shortly, taking a few steps toward the water and looking around calmly.

"Okay. ... Mr. Grumpy pants." She leaned down to unfasten Brunt's saddle.

His ears twitched and he looked over his shoulder at her, glaring. "Why was it that you reminded me of Martel, again?" he asked, though it seemed to be a rhetorical question.

"It happened around the time you saw my wings. Not sure myself, but it probably has something to do with them." She said, pulling his saddle off and walking off to lay it over a low branch.

"Possibly." he said shortly. He glanced around. There didn't seem to be a soul around for miles. "...Pull them out again and see if one or the other of us starts acting differently." he said, smirking and turning to face her.

She didn't skip a beat as she walked back to him and Brunt; they were out again mid-stride. They were lighter than the grass around them and they sparkled in the moonlight. Shinys!

He raised an eyebrow, still smirking slightly. "They're similar to Martel's wings, that's for sure." he said, turning his head to the side very slightly. "But Martel was far less reckless."

"She had to put up a good example for you though, didn't she?" she said, kicking her shoes off near the lake's edge.  
He watched her, thinking. "I... suppose so." he said after a few moments. "I know for a fact she'd probably not like riding a horse at breakneck speeds though."

"That could be something that's singular to me, but I'll admit it takes getting used to. It gives an adrenaline rush, to be holding the reins." she said, her wings faded and she was unfastening the sheath from her arm. While it was stylish, it wasn't good for swimming.

"I can think of less death-defying ways to do that." he said, though he couldn't deny that some small part of him had found that fun. One very, very small part.

"Oh, you knew we wouldn't die." she rolled her eyes. "Brunt and I both know what we're doing."

"Can't deny that." he said, "I've come much closer to dying then that in the past. Still doesn't make it entirely fun."

She laughed. "I offered it to you to drive." she said, shaking her hair away from her face before diving into the water.

Mithos walked over and sat near the waters edge, waiting until she surfaced again to speak. "And I told you, I wouldn't have known what to do even if you told me. Horseback riding isn't one of my specialties."

She came up and wiped water from her eyes. "It's simple. Tug the reins in whichever way you want to go." she said, treading water.

"And to go forward?" he asked, tilting his head sideways again.

"Squeeze your legs and kick back a little, snapping the reins." She said, grinning.

He closed one eye, keeping the other on her. "...I think I'll leave the driving to you. With very strict warnings and speed limits."

"Bah. 3000+ years old and can't drive a horse." She mumbled, going back under the water for a few moments.

He snorted, not bothering to restrain laughter. "It's not something I was ever trained to do. Or... cared to do."

She was already up again and heading for the shore. "You'll have to try sometime, then." she said, slightly smugly.

He didn't reply. Truthfully, there weren't many reasons why he'd really _want_ nor have a reason _to_ 'drive' a horse. But maybe.  
She stayed in the water, but close to the edge. Cool water was gooood.

He lay on his back and stared up at the slightly cloudy sky, wondering how long it would take before he'd be rightly busy again, what with preparations for the Regeneration looming. Still a while to wait...

"So. I'm guessing swimming isn't your thing either?" she asked, pure for joke but she was rather curious.

"I don't mind swimming." he said. "Haven't in a long while, though. Last time I tried, it was too weird. Not being able to feel the water and all. "

"Mhm. Feeling it or not, it's still fun. :D"

He smiled. "It was odd at the time, the water was supposed to be icy cold but it... just wasn't." he shrugged. "I can feel it now, though." he said, leaning forward and putting a hand in the shallows of the water.

"So long as you can feel it against you, it's wonderful." she said, flicking water around.

He took his hand out and shook it, water droplets flying everywhere. "I guess I could give it a shot." he said, smiling slightly and undoing the chain on his cape.

"Maybe there is a sense of fun in there somewhere." She said, smirking at him and floating herself back into the deeper parts of the lake.

He chuckled, taking his boots off too and wading into the water. He took a breath and dove under, swimming out a few feet and surfacing again. "This is actually pretty nice."

She grinned, wading in small circles. "That's what water does."

He trod water, looking around. "I remember when I had to fight the spirit of water..." he said, swimming slightly backwards as he looked about. "Undine. She was difficult to beat... Doubt she'd still answer to me though..." he frowned lightly.

She blinked, understanding only a few words of that. But she didn't ask.

He glanced at her and seemed to understand that she didn't understand. "...Don't worry about it. It's a past long, and perhaps best, forgotten."

She laughed. "I can understand that." she said, doing a few water-flips. Water was so very lovely.

He swam closer to the bank, not finding this interesting enough to hold his attention for too long, though not getting out of the water just yet. He watched her swim instead, rather as if he thought she was a mildly interesting television show.

She didn't really seem to care that he was watching and not swimming. She kept going in lazy circles.

He kept quiet, thinking about his own past and how it was when he first became an angel. Gradually his thoughts drifted around, and he was reminded of something his little group was forced to do at one point. He glanced over his shoulder at Brunt, thinking. "...Hey, Sendra..." he said slowly, a grin slowly forming on his face. "Ever ridden a dragon?"

She looked back over at him. "Seen one, never ridden one." she smiled. "What've you got in mind?"

He got out of the water, still grinning. "I remember that at one point we had to ride dragons to reach something when I was on my original adventure..." he said, turning to face her. "Thought you might enjoy that, knowing how much of a daredevil you are on Brunt..."

She grinned, coming out of the water. "Sounds like a perfect way to dry off. :"

He smiled wider, sliding his boots back on. "We'll have to go to Hima. The dragons we ride are kept on top of the tallest mountain in that range."

"Oooh, sounds fun. Are they big dragons?" she snorted, pulling her shoes on and at least wringing her hair out a little.

He smirked, grabbing his cape. "Not particularly. Not a lot bigger then Brunt, really. Just a lot louder and often less cooperative then a horse. ...Do try to keep it under control." he added, a slightly flat tone in the last few words.

"I'm up for the challenge." She said, snapping on her sheath.

He nodded, offering his hand. "Off we go, then!" he said. "To the top of the Hima mountains!"

She patted Brunt's nose, and he trotted off to get a drink. Sendra then took Mithos' hand, looking eager.


	8. A Relaxing Ride

The mist appeared again, but disappeared almost instantly as their surroundings changed entirely. A cold blast of wind met them as they stood on the flat top of a tall mountain, a corral of small dragons stood nearby, all dragons asleep and the cages locked tight.

Sendra shook her hair out of her face. Wow, some way to dry off. She looked at the caged, purple-and-blue dragons with a small smile as Mithos walked over to them, kneeling down to be closer to the head of the nearest one. It twitched in its sleep, growling very faintly. "I don't think the keeper will mind if we borrow one..." he said, looking up at the huge number of locks on the cage.

She grinned. "Borrowing is fun. "

He chuckled, standing up and running a hand down the line of locks. Each and every one of them sprung open and, without missing a beat, Mithos had opened the door of the cage and was gently rousing the dragon. It squeaked and squaked, apparently not happy at being awoken before he was ready to be.

"Aww. Poor thing...Wake up pretty dragon. D:" she said, poking it lightly.

"You're the one poking it." he said, leading it out of the cage by the leash on its muzzle. He had it hold still, and nodded to her. "Make sure its saddle is on correctly. You'll be better with that then I'd be."

She nodded, leaning under the dragon's stomach and checking the saddle. "It's on good. Pretty much just like a horse's saddle."

"Good. Then get on." he said, grinning. "I've prepared myself for your horrible driving this time. You can't be a worse driver then Kratos was. At least you know what you're doing."

She laughed, hoisting herself up into the saddle. It was different, but at the same time, the same as being on a horse. All in all, it was cool.

He handed her the reigns and climbed on himself, patting the dragon on the neck. It squaked and flapped its wings once, waiting for direction.

She grinned. "You might hang on, Brunt didn't have wings. :" She said, giving the direction for the dragon to take off.

The dragon turned slightly and began off at a trot, breaking into a run and finally taking off in the direction she had indicated. Mithos hung on fairly well, and glanced off into the distance. He sighed. "The Tower of Salvation will appear soon. The symbol of Hope and Liberation for the people of Earth..."

She kept going fairly steadily, it was hard to go breakneck speeds when you're through the air going forward and up.

The dragon kept going, and they were soon soaring over open sea, an island in the distance growing slowly closer. Mithos wasn't paying attention, rather enjoying the ride... so far.

She grinned, pulling back on the reins and directing the dragon to go downward. :D

It did, heading down as much as it dared and skimming the water. Mithos glanced down at the ocean, their reflections on the water enhanced by the moonlight.

She smiled. "Water means a lot, no matter what it's doing..." she said, directing the dragon back up again before the sea mist weighed them down.

It soared upward again, back toward the island. The mainland was fairly far behind them now. Mithos looked over his shoulder at Sendra. "Why do you like water so much?"

"Have you never thought about water?" she said, closing her eyes for a moment and letting the wind whip around her.

"I... guess not?" he said, sounding unsure. He looked down at the ocean beneath them, looking for something extraordinary about it.

"Water moves freely, but can be swayed with the slightest wind. It will incase you inside itself but let you out once you decide to surface. It washes out the troubles of the days, but can be troubled itself and force you into things you may not want to. It's predictable and unpredictable, and hard to understand. Nothing short of beauty." She said, sounding uncharacteristically wise.

He continued to stare down at the water, not seeing what she saw in it. "...You almost sounded like Kratos there." he said, smirking slightly as he finally looked up. "He's full of wisdom. Though it's more about fighting and morals then... water..."

"Well look at it, see how smooth it is now while we're up here? Nothing disturbing it?" she said, looking down at the water.  
He looked down again. "Yeah..." he said slowly. "And if we go down and skim it again, it will get rough for a while. But I don't see why that's so amazing."

"It'll move from something touching it, but it will move on its own, too. Water currents aren't only affected by the wind."

He smiled slightly. "I'll let you keep your fascination with water..." he said, looking up again and toward the island they were nearing. "I'll keep my mind on other things."

"Maybe you'll understand later." She said, laughing. She grinned, pulling back on the dragons reins. Let's go for a loop, shall we

Mithos yelped slightly and clung to the dragon's neck in alarm, but the dragon seemed happy to pull off a large loop for Sendra. Mithos sighed. "Warn me before you do that again..."

"You trusted me with drivin'." She grinned.

"Yeees, but still." he mumbled, rubbing his temple wearily. He glanced at the island they had come within a visual distance of. He froze. "...Please turn the dragon around." he said, staring at the small village on the edge of the island. The long grass blew in the wind and the little huts had lights shining out of the windows. "They're /still awake/. oo;;;"

"o.O...'Kay." She said, hesitating for a moment before grinning. "WARN." she said, before pulling the dragon back and flying upside down in the other direction.

He yelped again and clung to the dragon's neck, blinking. "...Talented dragon..." he mumbled. "Thanks. I'd rather NOT be surrounded be Katz... ever again in my lifetime."

"By who's?" she said, letting the dragon roll back to rightside up.

"The Katz..." he muttered. "Weird... cat things... they have human faces and walk on two legs, but also have tails and cat ears and paws and fur... and most of them are pink. Just trust me."

"...Good enough. oo;" she said, getting the dragon to go just a liiittle faster.

He sighed, leaning back slightly in a weary way and closing his eyes. The dragon hummed slightly, its head following a panicked-looking seagull but its body continuing to move forward.

She flew the dragon around calmly, surprisingly not pulling any stunts. She was barely paying attention and just letting the dragon fly straight on its own as she looked over the sea.

He didn't miss the stunts; far from it, he actually relaxed a bit. Staring out across the relatively calm sea as well, he perked up after a moment. "Head that way," he said, pointing to the southwest. "There's a desert out that way that's really nice to be in at night."

She blinked out of a trance, turning the dragon without a word. It was very strange for her to be quiet, really. She still looked out over the sea.

He looked over his shoulder at her, noting the silence but not noting it as odd. "Something preoccupying you, Sendra?" he asked, looking back out at their new course with a slight smirk.

"Eh?...Not really. Just like the look of the water." She replied, shifting a bit, obviously lying.

His smirk grew. "Do not lie to me. No matter what you say of your like of water I doubt it would cause you to go so quiet and calm."

She laughed a little. "Mhm. Just thinking about your plan." she said, looking into the distance again.

His expression became quite blank, showing no emotion at all, as if he didn't want to convince himself or anyone else that her opinion mattered on any level. His voice, however, sounded interested. "How so?"

"Martel sounded like a good woman. Would want the best for everyone..." she said distantly. "But if everyone can't get along the way this world is... Maybe your plan is the best."

The corners of his mouth twitched for a moment into a smile. "I'm glad you understand. It's simple really... if everyone is the same race, discrimination will vanish..." he nodded, his expression again blank.

"Racial discrimination anyway, people may still feud about clothes and personalities, material things...but that can be dealt with." she said, staring into the distance once more.

"Yes... It's a simple concept. I don't know why people can't grasp it. But that doesn't matter... they'll see in time or else suffer my... Displeasure." He hissed rather then spoke the last word, his childish voice taking on an odd note. He shook his head slightly. "I don't want to hurt more people then I have to. But for change to happen... sacrifice is needed."

"Your organization...Cruxis, right?" she said, smiling and coming back to earth from being all daze-ey.

He nodded. "Yes, that's right. What about it?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder at her again.

"Any positions open?" she asked, smiling with a mischievous hint, that's the old Sendra back!

He chuckled. "You're not the type to take orders well, I can tell that already. I'm not sure you'd like it in Cruxis as an official member."

She laughed. "I take the orders that I like. Orders from people I respect. And I've come to respect you and what you want to do. I can't guarantee I'll obey other people "above" me, but I'll be a good girl." She said.

He smirked again. "Well then. What use would you be to me other then someone who agrees with me?" he asked, staring ahead at a faint line of mountains far ahead of them. The land was approaching.

"Do you not remember what I did for a living? I have a...certain quality for planning things to go off without a hitch. And without people noticing until we want them to. Surely you could use that somewhere." she said.

He was quiet for a moment, thinking. "There IS a group that has been giving us trouble. Call themselves the Renegades, and they're so slippery it makes me wonder if they know my plans back-to-front. Then it makes me wonder how that's possible..."

"A leak?" she asked "One of the other angels in Cruxis?"

"Impossible. The only ones who know of my plans to the extent that would cause that big of a problem are Kratos and Yuan, and they've been with me from the start." He shook his head. "I know Kratos agrees with me, and Yuan was once engaged to Martel. I can't imagine him not wanting her back as well."

"Sometimes it's the closest that will hurt you." she said. "I'd be happy to do what I can to help. I miss my parents and it's time I did something about it." she said, noticing land coming closer.

He was silent for a few more moments. After a slight pause, he nodded. "I'm sure I can find something for you to do. After all, with the wings you possess, I doubt most of the lower-ranked angels will have any problem with you. Not many get wings like yours." he glanced at her again. "Most have boring white or black feathers. Do you know if you have any blood from the Mana lineage in you?"

"Heard of the name... my father may have mentioned it when I was really young." she said, thinking a bit. "I might."

"Hm..." he lapsed into silence again, staring without seeing into the distance. "I suppose it's... possible that a few of the lineage escaped our grasp..." he murmured, running through papers and calculations in his mind's eye. "Those of the Mana lineage are those that are picked as Chosens... Closely monitored by the church of Martel and made sure that the lineage continues. I wouldn't be surprised if a few went under the radar."

"I'm just special like that. Then again, I remember my father being a very proud but secretive man. He didn't like anyone finding him no matter who they were."

He tilted his head to the side, one eye screwed up in thought. "Was your father the elf, or your mother?" he asked, attempting to figure this out. If there were those of the Mana lineage having children off the radar of Cruxis then there was something wrong.

"Father was the elf. He actually didn't want me, either. Didn't want anyone to know I was his child. I see why now, but nevertheless." she replied.

He 'hmm'ed again and fell silent. It made sense of why she had those wings anyway. A short pause in which the dragon began veering faintly off to the east in pursuit of a very slow-moving gull later, he sighed. "I'll have to look into that. Someone hasn't been doing their job if you are a child of Mana and I want to be sure it wasn't me. Not to mention reprimanding the one who is at fault..."

She laughed. "Is Mithos gonna have to slap some idiots?"

He snorted. "Quite possibly." He paused, staring ahead with slightly narrowed eyes. "...I don't usually allow people inside Cruxis but outside the Seraphim to use that name. But I suppose it is how I introduced myself to you... so you're excused of that rule. Just be sure you don't call me 'Mithos' when we're around any of the Desians. The Cardinals would throw a fit. Particularly Pronyma..."

She nodded. "And what would I call you around them, then?"

"'Lord Yggdrasill'." he said simply. "If you don't you're likely to be attacked and-or interrogated by one of the Cardinals as to why I didn't kill you for using my first name. Might be a good idea to do the same around Kratos and Yuan... the other angels I'm not horribly concerned about."

She snorted. "I'll do my best." she said. She knew she'd do fine, but her inner mind would be laughing its ass off the first time she called him "lord".

He didn't reply, merely watched the mountains now below them go by. A small village in the valley lay sleepy and dull, and a large fortress upon a cliff in the foothills just screamed "menaaaaace." He nodded toward it. "Forcystus's ranch. We're in the Iselia area..."

"...Yay?" she said, she hardly remembered the names of places.

Mithos smirked. "I'm not surprised you don't recognize the name. It's not a significant place to commoners. The only reason it's significant at all to me is that there is a ranch here; and that many if not most of the Chosens grow up in Iselia." He looked off to the east. "Turn that way. The desert will be a good place for you to practice your flying skills."

"My flying skills? What's that mean?" she laughed, turning.

"As opposed to letting the dragon fly us everywhere. Learn to use your own wings for more then hovering." he smirked. "Won't hurt to try and get you to teleport either. It's an invaluable but rare skill."

"...Oh." she said, almost forgetting she even had the wings. She looked down at the green-and-gold thing on her chest, it looked like it was glorified jewelry, but she liked it.

His smirk widened at the large rocks sticking out of the sands of the Triet desert loomed. "Nearly there. We can start going down now. ... SLOWLY."

She laughed. "Loser." she said, taking the dragon down slowly.

He didn't reply, merely being glad she actually listened to him about the slow. He thoroughly expected to be tossed off into the desert sand when they went for the landing, however...

The dragon's feet hit the sand softly. "See? Told you I took orders." she said, hopping off.


	9. Fast Learner

Mithos turned and slid off the dragon, standing slightly shakily at first but retaining his footing. "That's a good sign." he said, smirking. His voice had abruptly become deep and slightly slower, though his form did not change. He smirked wider, looking right at her and tilting his head to the side. "Can't fly without your wings you know." he said, nodding at a point just behind her.

"No, really?" Sendra sneered. She could take orders but she would never lose her attitude. She stepped back from the dragon a bit and made her wings appear with little to no difficulty.

Mithos glowed briefly and his form changed to match his voice, his own wings carrying him effortlessly upward. He drifted off to the side, watching her wordlessly, wings beating softly to keep him airborne.

She beat her own wings, softly enough, floating a few inches before rising to a few feet.

Yggdrasill nodded. "We knew you could do that already. Lets see how far and fast you can move." he held a hand out in front of him and a small silver ball that looked to be filled with some form of liquid appeared in his hand. He turned and threw it as hard as he could -- admittedly very hard -- into the distant sands. "Bring that back to me without your feet touching the sand. Quick as you can. Trust me; I'll know how long it takes."

She nodded, taking off, decently quick considering she knew how to make herself more aerodynamic. She lowered near the sand and snatched the ball before turning and going back.

He held out his hand wordlessly as she neared, decently satisfied with her speed. Agility may need a bit of work but he couldn't deny she was fairly fast in the air.

She tossed the ball all but three inches from his hand and stopped nearly on a dime next to him. "Eh, I could do better I think..."

He snatched the ball and tossed it into the air, catching it again without even watching what he was doing. He was surveying her, looking for signs of fatigue yet. "You fly fast, but you could use some work with changing direction, I think. The ball was stationary, and in a straight line from you..." he looked at the ball again and it glowed purple for a moment, then buzzed into the air of its own accord. He smirked at it. "Try and catch it when I'm controlling its movement."

"Of course. My lord." She said, restraining laughter as she moved toward the ball.

He smirked wider and watched the ball zoom off into the distance, moving at a considerable speed and zigzagging once in a while. It blinked a light purple every time it changed direction, creating the illusion of a very strange and large firefly.

She kept her eyes on it, zooming after it faster than the last time, when it blinked, she would change directions with it, using that as a warning.

The ball did one gigantic loop around her and sped the other direction, not blinking until it was totally behind her, when it flashed a bit brighter then before and sped up, zooming straight up into the air.

She zoomed up and flew back the other way. "YOU AIN'T GETTING AWAY THAT EASY." she hollered, speeding up.

Yggdrasill chuckled as he watched, the silver ball flashing purple again in an almost blinding way and pulling a 180, zooming right over Sendra and plunging to skim the sand.

She turned with it, going above it and reaching out, SO CLOSE. D8

Mildly impressed at her quickness to spin and turn to match the ball, Yggdrasill made the ball stop and it fell into the sand, making a depression so deep the ball was actually below the surface of the rest of the sand. It had apparently gained in weight when it had been enchanted. However, before Sendra was able to get close enough to catch it, it sped into life again and actually burrowed under the sand several feet before bursting up and zooming into the sky again.

She flew upwards, gaining speed again, she got one last burst of speed and slammed her hands around the ball, hovering where she was when she'd caught it, holding it tight.

The ball struggled feebly for a moment before falling still, dead weight settling in her hands. Smiling in earnest, Yggdrasill chuckled, very impressed.

She flew back down to him and handed him the ball, not tired at all. He took it and it vanished, leaving no trace of it ever having existed. He considered her for a moment before speaking. "You move better then I thought you would. It's kind of like swimming really, except you have a wider range of motion and you can actually breathe." he gave her an approving sort of nod. "Well done."

She beamed proudly. "Wha' else?"

He walked in a slow circle around her, paying no attention to the dragon they had 'borrowed,' which seemed bored enough to follow him around, sniffing at his hair and attempting to bite his wings. "I'd like you to teleport." he said after a full circle around her, stopping in front of her again. "Anywhere inside the desert. It's actually very simple." In the blink of an eye he was gone, standing in the exact same position as before but in a totally different spot, one some three to four inches behind her.

She followed him with her eyes, nodding. "How would I do that, then?"

He closed his eyes, trying to explain how it was done. After a moment, they opened and he had teleported again, standing alongside her now. He pointed in the distance toward a large column of rock sticking out of the sand. "To start, imagine yourself walking toward that rock. Don't actually move; just see yourself walking toward the rock. If you can picture it clearly enough, chances are you'll just appear somewhere along the path you're imagining."

She nodded, watching the rock and focusing on it. It took a few seconds for her to be standing there, a few feet from the rock. "...YAY!! 8DD"

"Good job." he said in a thoroughly unsurprised voice. "Now make your way _back_."

Took her less time on the way back, though still a bit longer than normal. She was better equipped for manually moving than teleporting.

"Hm," he said, in a slightly warmer voice. "That's when one usually messes up..." he looked over his shoulder, in the far distance, the outskirts of an oasis in the sands was just visible. He nodded toward it. "Head for Triet. More confined space is better for this kind of practice. More things can get in your way."

Sendra nodded, teleporting herself close to the oasis, though not quite as close as she'd hoped. Oh the woes of a teleport noob.

Yggdrasill actually took the care to teleport the dragon back to where it had come from before appearing next to Sendra, not wanting it wandering the desert aimlessly. He nodded across the water toward the quiet and sleepy village, the many houses and market stalls visible from here. "This might be fun and it might be annoying. Teleport from rooftop to rooftop, quick as you can. The faster you move, the harder it is to concentrate. Also, since you can't _walk_ from rooftop to rooftop... instead, think of it as bouncing. It makes sense when you do it, trust me."

She nodded, appearing on the rooftops one after another, imagining herself just jumping from one to another, worked quite well when she had that in her head for some reason.

He watched, teleporting himself to keep up every so often. After allowing her to get a feel for what she was doing, he glanced up at the sky. It was far too light out. First the moon darkened, then the stars seemed to fade... a shroud was being placed around the town. He chuckled as the darkness overtook the streets. "Let's find out how well you keep from falling or miss-landing when you can't see where you're going..."

She did fairly well, appearing from roof to roof, sometimes going near the edge but not falling off.

Apparently unimpeded by the dark, Yggdrasill watched her progress, wanting to but not nearly mean-spirited enough to make one of the buildings appear closer or farther away then it really was through the thick and dark fog. His expression remained blank, though he nodded again in an approving way. "Well-done indeed..."

She appeared behind him from a building on the far end from where he was. "Thanks." she said simply. Not expecting this to really effect him, but worth a shot.

He merely peered down at her from over his shoulder as the dark faded, not seeming to be surprised in the least that she had appeared behind him so abruptly. He flicked his wings in slight annoyance and glanced about; making sure the town was still sleepy and dull. "I'm impressed against my will at your speed at learning..." he said, turning to face her.

"I'm just that special." she said, flicking her wings. "Now what?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

He surveyed her for a few moments, eyes narrowed slightly. "You can teleport just fine to places you can see in front of you. I need you now to teleport somewhere we can't see. Somewhere close first..." He smirked. "Remember that human ranch we passed on our way here?"

She nodded. "Aye, trying for there, then?"

He nodded as well. "Try just outside the gate, but I wouldn't be disappointed if you end up crashing into the master of the Ranch, Forcystus." The ghost of a smile played across his face as he vanished, presumably now waiting for her outside the ranch.

She grinned a bit. "Ahh, how about something a bit different." she concentrated for a moment, then faded out, beating her wings as she reappeared floating above the gate just inside the walls of the aforementioned ranch. Though, she'd meant to. :D Just to cause trouble.


	10. Who Ordered What?

A Desian that was supposedly guarding the gate gave a little jerk in his sleep, the crossbow he wielded limp in his hands. He opened his eyes blearily and peered up at Sendra, the light from her wings causing him to blink several times before getting a clear focus. He just stared in awe for several seconds before jumping to his feet, crossbow raised and pointing straight at her. "Who are you and what business do you have here?" he called at her, crossbow quivering.

Down below and just outside the gate, Mithos the child giggled. He'd been hoping she'd cause some trouble in some way.

Sendra stared at him, then glared. "Do you not recognize me?" she said, growling slightly.

The Desian shrunk back slightly, but kept the crossbow pointed firm at her. "I've never seen you before. State your business at this ranch!"

"Fool. I'm here on business higher than you. It is not surprising that you have not seen me before, as few have, you will do well to forget I was here and not hold me up any further. I can and will make sure you are punished if you do." she glared. Listening just outside the gate to see if Mithos died of laughter yet.

The Desian's arms trembled slightly, but he didn't back down. "L-lord Forcystus wishes to know what business anyone who enters the ranch has with us." he stuttered, not sounding so confident now.

Down below, Mithos was leaning against the wall, doubled over in silent laughter.

She glared daggers at him, and not the insulted kind, the kind that dang nearly kill you if she'd look at you like that. "I am above 'L-lord Forcystus'. His wishes matter little to me." she growled.

The Desian said nothing, merely stared at her, crossbow still pointed at her. It was clear he was deciding whether to shoot or not. A trapdoor opened in the wall and another Desian climbed out of it, come to see what the fuss was about. She stopped dead and stared at Sendra, her mouth hanging slightly open and spear held limply in her hand. "Ah... um... what's... going on...?"

Sendra closed her eyes, looking clearly angry, even if it was just an act. "Your associate refuses to let me pass. I am much, much higher than you both and I am here on urgent business sent personally by your Lord."

The female Desian took a step toward Sendra, her spear raised. "And what business is this?" she hissed, glaring. The one with the crossbow seemed more confident now, for he held his weapon more firmly.

A sly smile spread across Sendra's face. "To cause trouble for the personal amusement of Lord Yggdrasill and myself at the expense of anyone who got in my way." she said simply. "Ta!" she said before disappearing in a wink and appearing next to Mithos.

The Desians blinked in alarm, looking at one another before both darting down the trapdoor at the same time, both getting stuck before the female managed to get through. Both presumably running to inform Forcystus of the extremely odd intruder.

Perhaps this was lucky, for Mithos had burst out laughing at that point, actually falling forward onto the grass from laughter.

Sendra flopped down on the grass next to him, laughing as well as her wings faded away. "You ain't laughed in too long, I thought I'd help." she said, before continuing the laughing fit.

His laughter subsided into snickers and he peered one-eyed at her, lying on his side in the grass. "You do know Forcystus is going to throw a fit over this, right?"

"Never heard of him." she grinned. "However if he's anything as silly as his name I'm not worried. I was tempted to replace "L-lord Forcystus" with "Lord Funnystuffs" but decided it was too corny."

Mithos smirked and sat up, shaking his head. "You shouldn't make fun of him. He was a great hero to the half-elves. Killed a group of humans single-handedly who had been on a half-elf killing spree..." his eyes took on a blank sort of look. "Lost some of himself in the fight though. Quite literally."

"Mmm. I'm still not worried, my respect has grown for him slightly but he still does not worry me. Wonder if they've told him yet... x3"

"Probably." he said indifferently. "We'll know when Pronyma comes storming into Derris-Kharlan asking who the hell was bothering those Desians." he giggled again. "Speaking of which, we should probably go back before she DOES come looking for me."

"Aww. Meanies ruining our fun. D:" she said, giggling as well. "Ah well, sounds like it'd be fun seeing their faces anyway...but before we go, how does one change their appearance?"

He blinked. In a flash, he was his adult self again, still sitting on the grass beside her but with a much more puzzled look on his face. "That I can't explain. It's something I've been able to do for so long I don't even know how I do it anymore."

"Are you the only one who can do it or are there others?" she asked.

"Any lifeless being can do it." he said at once. "Most just don't see the need for it."

"I see certain needs for it..." she said, musing quietly. "Anyway, to Derris-Kharlan?"

He looked at her curiously for a moment before nodding. "Think you can make it on your own? It's a lot farther then you've tried before."

"Considering I'd rather not get lost in space, and I may be adventurous but not stupid, I'd rather let you do it." She said, standing. "I can probably make it back to some place I know from there, but getting there would be harder considering I have no idea where it is."

He stood as well and held out his hand automatically. "Probably a good idea." he said, sounding totally serious. "Even teleporting between points within Derris-Kharlan is risky at times."

She took his hand, taking a breath; it was a bit weird not doing this by herself in a while.

A moment later, they were standing again outside a large stone staircase leading to enormous wooden doors. The entrance to Vinheim, the castle of Derris-Kharlan. The great leopard-demon that guarded the castle doors opened one eye sleepily, staring at them without much interest.

She looked at the leopard with as little interest as it looked at her, then she looked over at Mithos "Wonder if they're here yet... :D"

A banging and crashing nearby signaled that something was amiss, anyway. The leopard looked up a little more alertly and growled at a door in the wall several yards from the castle doors as a white-winged angel came tumbling through it, having been pushed by a harassed-looking Pronyma. "I don't CARE if he's not here right now. GO FIND HIM." she screamed at the angel, before looking up and paling at the sight of Yggdrasill. Taking no note of Sendra at all, her voice became weak. "M-my Lord, there you are. oo;;" she squeaked, stepping over the angel still on the floor and approaching him.

Yggdrasill looked highly unamused, glaring at her. "What on earth could be that urgent, Pronyma?"

Sendra held back giggles. Oh, my, he looked so unamused. This would be fun.

Pronyma cleared her throat and regained her form, standing straighter and looking more composed. Her voice, too, had become level. "Forcystus brought interesting news to me a short while ago. Apparently there was an intruder in his ranch claiming to be under your orders to cause trouble."

Yggdrasill raised an eyebrow, his expression not changing otherwise. "And what gave him that idea?"

Sendra smiled, still holding back her laughter, but she was fairly sure that once she let it out Mr. Funnystuffs himself could hear it back at his ranch.

Pronyma still took no notice of her. "Two of his guards told him so. I don't have the full story, but I thought it would be wise to find out if such an order had been given before investigating further."

His expression became one of mild annoyance. "And if I had given such an order? What difference would it make?"

Pronyma paled again. "Uh..."

Sendra couldn't resist. "Indeed, why would you question your Lord's orders? If I were in charge of that ranch, I would have taken whoever the 'intruder''s word instead of storming up here and harassing the man in charge..." she said smoothly.

Pronyma looked at her in alarm, finally noticing her presence. "Uh... but... Wha..."

Yggdrasill glanced at Sendra before looking back at Pronyma, still slightly annoyed. "She knows what she's talking about. Give a message to Forcystus for me, will you? Tell him that orders I may give in relation to causing trouble at his or any other human ranch are my business. It shouldn't and doesn't matter whether I gave these orders or not."

Sendra smiled, holding her hands behind her back and wringing them slightly. MUST. NOT. LAUGH. Oh, it's fun when people get flustered!

Pronyma blinked several times up at Yggdrasill, then looked at Sendra. She narrowed her eyes slightly then looked back up, nodding. "Understood, my Lord..." she muttered. She glanced at Sendra once more before turning on her heel and walking back out the way she had come. If looks could kill, Sendra would be writhing in agony on the floor.

Instead, she snorted lightly, keeping still but biting her lip. She looked over at Yggdrasill, grinning madly.

He was smiling very lightly, clearly amused but that was more through an aura then him actually showing it. He looked at her, and his smile widened slightly. "That was fun."

"Good thing you remember what fun is." she said, laughing a bit. "What's next on the agenda, Lord Yggdrasill?


	11. Cruxis is a little Leaky

Yggdrasill closed one eye in thought, trying to remember what he was doing before he had met her. Yes... he had been in Nadah, the elven village of Sylvarant, attempting to look something up without being detected. Then those disgusting humans came and set fire to the surrounding forest. He clenched a fist without really realizing at the thought. "I'm not sure I have anything that needs done..."

"Hm. Nothing to check on, then?" Sendra asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"There shouldn't be," he said, simply. "Everything's usually kept well in-check. Usually."

"M'kay... then lets start trying to find that leak you mentioned?" she said, crossing her arms and looking at him, almost challenging him to it.

He perked up at that, having forgotten it in the fun of aggravating Forcystus and Pronyma. "That... would be a good idea actually. First place to start would be the records and family tree of the Mana lineage... The Sylvarant one at any rate."

"Let's get to it, then! D: " she said, perking up and waiting to follow his lead.

He smirked at her willingness and turned, heading toward the door opposite the one Pronyma had stormed through. "Hope you don't mind staircases. There's several flights before we reach the correct room..."

"Ah I'm fine." she said, following him, looking around with much interest.

He started down the long, large spiral staircase beyond the door, looking slightly bored. The dark stone walls bore torches at every landing and paintings of various objects and landmarks here and there, but were otherwise bare and boring. At the first landing he turned, placing a hand on the wall and opening a hidden doorway. He motioned for her to go ahead of him.

She walked in ahead of him, looking around with much curiosity, although it wasn't surprising that he looked bored.

He followed her in and the door slid shut behind him, plunging them into total and complete darkness for a moment before he clicked his fingers. Torches burst into life all around the walls, revealing a cluttered room with many scrolls, papers and books laying about pell-mell. On either of the long walls, there was an enormous tapestry, one showing the Mana lineage of Sylvarant, the other of Tethe'alla. He pointed toward the Sylvarant one. "Search near the bottom of that tapestry for any names you recognize. I'm going to double-check something..."

She nodded, her wings appeared and she fluttered them very lightly, floating over to the tapestry and reading near the top instead, going down. Might do better to check them all. Though that might take a while as it covered three and a half thousand years worth of Chosens and their families...

Those who were once Chosens were marked by stars lined in red next to their names, though every now and again there was one without red, just the star. Yggdrasill was rifling through the many scrolls laying about the room, looking for something in particular.

Sendra skimmed quickly, fairly good with names (once she remembered them, anyway), she was down near the bottom soon enough. She found one. "Aha... Hi, grandpa..." she said, looking at the name. "My father was Harold Grael, son of Faleut Harn. I've found Faelut here, but his son isn't listed. It says that Faleut was married to a Patrice Sani-Harn, but my grandma, according to my dad, was Henna Grael..."

Yggdrasill looked up from a scroll in his hands, brow furrowed. "Odd..." he said, placing the scroll on a rickety table and crossing the room to look at the tapestry as well. "Well that means that there are either several 'Harold Grael's around here or there's several generations worth of the Mana line that have escaped us..."

She straightened up, still floating though. "I know what to do... My father died, but Faelut is still alive. Should be, anyway... Where, however, may be hard to find... I've only heard of him a few times." she said, looking at the name "Faelut Harn" on the tapestry.  
"That is actually simple to figure out." he said, heading back for the scroll he had dropped. "If he's on the tapestry, we can find him easily."

She followed along behind him. "So we'll just barge in and ask him:o"

He smirked, rifling though a group of papers that were slightly newer-looking then some of the others scattered around the room. "Unless you've got a better plan, I see no reason to do anything different."

"Good point." she said, hovering above his head and looking over his shoulder.

After a bit more rifling, he found what he was looking for, and, pulling out a single page from the many in his hands, he peered down it. The words "Faleut Harn" were scrawled across the top in large letters, and it looked as though many of the words below had been erased somehow and re-written several times. "Says here Faelut is living on the outskirts of the foothills of Hima." he said, looking puzzled at that. "You'd think he'd actually live in a city. Ah well."

"Hermit maybe?" she asked, shrugging. "TO HIMA. D: "

He paused, looking at her with a raised eyebrow, before chuckling and setting the papers down again. "Energetic, aren't we?" he said, glancing back up at her.

"Realize I haven't had any contact with anyone in my family at ALL since I was about 5. 8D" she said.

"Is that a good thing in this case?" he asked, blinking in a confused sort of way for a moment before fluttering up to be on her level.

"I'm just excited, neither good nor bad." she said, shaking some hair away from her face.

"Then let's be off." he said, smiling briefly before taking her hand unceremoniously and teleporting the two of them to the bottom of the Hima mountain range.

That took her by surprise, blinking that surprise away, she looked up at the closest mountain. "Mm, been a long time since I've been here."

In a flash, he had turned into a kid again; from his new shorter vantage point, the mountain looked even taller. "C'mon. Your grandfather shouldn't be far off," he said glancing around before walking to the north. Then he remembered something. "...Barging in on him at four in the morning probably wouldn't be the best idea, now that I think about it..."

"Considering how old he'd be." she said, following behind him anyway.

He 'hmm'ed, stopping in his tracks and looking slightly lost for a moment. "We should kill time for ... several hours. 'Least until the sun is properly up. But what should we _do_?

She floated again, going in circles about him. "Uhhhh...any other ranches about here we can mess with?" she said, though not serious she might as well ask.

He shook his head. "Not really. The Asgard ranch is closest, and it's still not really within range."

"Phooey. ): " she said, floating about more. "Uuumm... maybe we can find some humans to bug..."

"At this hour?" he asked, skeptical. "I doubt it." he was silent for a few moments, before he looked up to the sky. "...Though... We could go see our other kinsmen..."

"Our who's?" she looked confused.

He looked at her, a kind of sadness in his eyes. "The other half-elves. Many of them live on Exire, the floating city... I would know, I put them there."

"Wha' for?" she asked, looking at him curiously.

"It was the only haven they had." Mithos said sadly. "The only place they could go to escape the ridicule they got from the humans and elves. Half-elves aren't allowed in Heimdall at all, nor are they really welcome anywhere else. I created Exire using the power of a Summon Spirit known as Maxwell. He keeps the city floating in the sky."

"Uh huh... I guess that would be an interesting thing to see." she said, twirling about. She didn't really understand a lot of what he'd just said anyway.

He gave her a rather patronizing look before shrugging. "I doubt you'll be twirling like that by the time we get back. C'mon." he said, holding his hand out. "I'd let you teleport on your own but I don't want you appearing several hundred feet over the open sea..."

She smiled a bit, taking his hand. "I'm quite glad I met you, Mithos." she said.

He blinked in surprise, forgetting where they were going for a moment. "You are...? Why?"

"You gave me something to do. Gave me a good cause to fight for." she nodded, looking unphased by his obvious lapse in memory.

He blinked again, but nodded, a small smile on his lips. "And something tells me you're going to be invaluable to Cruxis, one way or another..." he said quietly, before teleporting them away.

The first thing easily recognizable where they landed was the sudden rush of wind. The second thing was usually the total lack of anything holding up the ground one stood on. Bleak houses and small parks stood on circles of earth suspended in midair, the circles connected by stone bridges that looked none-too-safe if you misstepped. Despite the time of day, there were many people out of their homes, tending to menial jobs that may not have been done during daylight hours. Not one of them spared a glance toward Mithos and Sendra, merely went about their work in a somber but determined way.

Sendra looked about at the place, not saying anything but just taking in what she saw.

Mithos sighed, looking around sadly.

One of the half-elves looked up from her small garden in front of her house as she heard him, looking around at the two newcomers. She looked surprised. "Hello, there." she said, dusting her hands off and standing up. "Never seen you two around here before..."

Sendra looked at Mithos, then back at the woman. She hid her wings in the small hope she wouldn't make anyone think she was showing off. She smiled a bit and nodded a hello to the woman. "Hello."

Mithos was glad she hid her wings, as angels weren't usually seen ... anywhere really. The woman approached them, smiling slightly. "You're... half-elves too, aren't you?" she asked quietly. "Nobody but half-elves ever come to Exire. Nobody but half-elves would ever want to be here..."

Sendra smiled, nodding again. "I am." she looked around at the place. "I...think it's rather beautiful here, actually..."

Mithos was quiet, just clinging to Sendra's hand in a shy kind of way. Boy, he could act. The woman smiled at Sendra a little wider. "It has its moments. It's difficult to live here sometimes, though... we never know where we're floating over. Never know when we'll be able to get the things we need to survive." she sighed sadly. "Always know we'll never be able to go back to solid ground, though. We can't live amongst the humans..."

"I understand that." Sendra said, looking around. She truly wished she could help, in any way at all. She'd have to ask Mithos about that later. "You grow things here, though, don't you?" she asked.

The woman nodded. "It's hard to get seeds with which to grow things, though. Every so often supplies just kind of... appear in the middle of the city in large crates, just enough to get us by for a while. I can't explain why it happens, but it does."

Mithos took a step closer to Sendra at this point, hiding slightly behind her, though for what reason was known only to him. The woman smiled a little again. "Though, nobody can explain why we keep floating, either..."

"Perhaps it's for the better, the floating, anyway. If you are floating above the humans, they can't hurt you." Sendra said, feeling Mithos hide behind her. She made it look like she didn't notice but she was wondering wtf he was doing.

The woman nodded, then jumped slightly. "Ah! Where have my manners gone. My name is Ellen." she extended a hand for Sendra to shake. "I'm pleased to meet you."

Sendra smiled brightly, shaking her free hand that Mithos wasn't clinging to with Ellen. "I'm Sendra. This is Mithos but I'm quite unaware what's wrong with him at the moment." she said, couldn't resist jabbing at him while he couldn't do anything about it

Ellen looked down at Mithos and gave him a warm smile. "Don't worry," she said kindly, "I'm just like you. Not like the humans who give us so much grief."

Mithos nodded slightly, not moving from behind Sendra but not pretending to be horribly shy any longer either. It was best if he kept as low a profile on Exire as possible lest something odd about him be detected.

Sendra smiled a little. "He's a good kid, when he tries to be." she said, looking around. "I can understand the faults of this place, but it is better than the alternative..." she mused.

Ellen nodded. "It is better then living in fear and ridicule of the humans. Conveniences of living on the ground aren't worth that. Still..." she sighed, eyes downcast. "It's something to get used to for many of us, anyway."

"Enjoy what you have... Perhaps have a celebration? A day to say that you're a half elf and proud of it?" she said, turning her head to the side and looking off into space.

Ellen considered that for a moment. "It's... a thought..." she sighed. "Most of us don't want to know we're half-elves. We're stuck up here because of it."

"You're the only ones up here, no one's here to oppress you, so you're free to shout it to the hills that you are who you are, a half elf and no one else can do anything to do about it." she said, trying not to step on any toes.

Ellen thought for a few moments longer. "Well... I guess I could mention it to the mayor... But I doubt it would be well-received..."

Mithos, complete with a very blank look in his eyes, finally spoke up. "The half-elves are oppressed from both sides because we are caught in the middle, neither one nor the other. We are different so we are persecuted..."

"Not up here, there's nothing to be ashamed of. Make the best of what you have." Sendra said.

"I.. suppose..." Ellen said uncertainly. She then nodded, looking a bit more firm. "Yes. I will mention it to the mayor first thing tomorrow. Thank you."

"Anything I can do to help." Sendra bowed her head slightly. She looked over at the horizon, it was turning pink.

Ellen glanced eastward as well and gave a small jolt. "Nearly morning already! Well, if I'm going to be bringing something like this to the attention of the mayor, I had best get myself ready." She gave a short bow to Sendra. "It was a pleasure to meet you."

Sendra nodded. "Wonderful meeting you, Ellen." she smiled brightly. Once Ellen had gone, she looked back at Mithos. "Time to go talk to an old man?"

He smiled vaguely, glancing about to make sure nobody was around. "We may have to hang around the mountain for a short time, but yes, I think we can go now."

She nodded, taking his hand and letting him teleport them. She didn't trust herself to get them back.

They once again stood at the foot of the Hima foothills, the early sunlight now giving everything an odd glow. Mithos glanced toward the east again. "We would do good to wait a little longer. Come on, it won't kill us to walk."

"Don't we have to find where he lives anyway?" she said, following him.

"He can't be far. I know he's in this direction." he said, walking south along the mountain range. "Though why he chose to live so far from anything is beyond me. We don't want those of the lineage to all live in the same place, but this..."

"That's the point of being a hermit. Being away from civilization." she said, following along, skipping every few steps.

"I suppose." He mused. After a moment, he dropped his voice slightly. "Do you expect the people of Exire to actually like your idea?" he asked, sounding halfway between doubtful and optimistic.

"I'm hopeful. It never hurts to hope." she said, twirling about and dancing, if slower than before.

He nodded vaguely, choosing to ignore her dancing. The sun had peaked above the horizon properly now, the top of the mountain glowing from the light. A small hut came into sight after a short time of walking, looking odd in the trees and plant life at the mountain's feet. Mithos nodded toward it. "That must be the place."

She stopped dancing and walked like a normal person, looking anxious.

Mithos approached the hut, but didn't have to look for signs of life, as the chimney started puffing smoke as they approached. He looked at Sendra. "He's your relative. You knock."

"Fraidy cat." she joked, knocking before he could reply. A loud but gentle knock, just to announce someone was there. An old, almost ancient looking man answered the door, looking surprised. "Whu...what in the...who are you two, then?" He said, looking suspiciously at the two of them. "Hi, granddad." Sendra said simply. The man looked surprised, then suspicious again.

Mithos cleared his throat slightly. "My name is Mithos, and this is Sendra. We'd like to ask you a couple questions about your family if that's alright." He spoke in a slightly shy but determined voice, one quite unlike one he had yet used in Sendra's company.

The old man didn't look quite as suspicious but still cautious. Sendra nodded. He shrugged a little and opened the door; they didn't look THAT threatening. He turned back and sat in an old rocking chair near a lit fireplace. There were no other chairs, reasonable since it was rare he had guests. Sendra entered and stood in the center of the room, looking around.

Mithos stood beside her, glaring at her for a moment before turning to Faelut with a cautious air. "Well..." he started, fishing about for ways to phrase what they needed to know. He glanced at Sendra again, hoping she'd have some innovations with how to deal with the old man.

She smiled lightly back at him. She wasn't sure how much he wanted the old man to know, so she was clueless. She spoke up nonetheless. "I am the daughter of Harold Grael, he mentioned you as his father. That's true, isn't it?" she asked. Faelut laughed. "Ah, Harry. Yes, he's my son. But...ah, not by my wife..." he trailed off.

Mithos made a slight noise but it wasn't identifiable by any humanly-known emotion. His eyes became blank again for a moment before speaking again. "I have it from a pastor at the church in Luin that you are one of the Mana lineage. Is this true?"

He nodded yet again. "Indeed, I am. I had had an affair with a Henna Grael, lost touch with her after she told me she was carrying my child. All she told me was what she'd name it before she left. My wife never knew." he looked up at Sendra. "Good to know that my bloodline was continued. Patrice and I never had children. Tell me, what's your name?"

"Sendra Grael." she said, smiling back shyly.

Mithos narrowed his eyes briefly but fixed his expression to one of curiosity again. "But doesn't the church keep track of those of the Mana lineage? Shouldn't they have known about Henna?"

"Ah, but then my wife would have known. No, we kept it a secret. We were young, I'm surprised no one came to me sooner about this..." he looked at Sendra again. "Why were you not curious about me until now?" he asked. Sendra looked at Mithos, blinking. Of course, the reason was because she was a half elf and had the wings of the Mana lineage, but she doubted Mithos wanted Faelut to know that.

Mithos considered carefully for a few moments. He dropped his voice in a convincing, scared-to-be-overheard way. "I heard some people of the Church talking about the Chosen and whether she would be able to save the world from those Desians." he whispered. "They mentioned something about a new Chosen soon, and I thought I heard Sendra's name. We wanted to know if that was even _possible_."

Sendra made an attempt at looking like she knew that and was flattered, and succeeded apparently. Either that or the old man didn't notice through himself puffing up with pride. "Well, it would be, then. Is that all you needed?" he asked.  
Mithos thought for a moment. The easy part had been done. He nodded and gave a small bow to the old man. "Yes, thank you very much."

He nodded. "Feel free to stop by any time, Sendra." he said, still prideful. Sendra nodded and shook her grandfather's hand.

Mithos made for the door, already deep in calculations about what this would mean for Cruxis. How many possible Chosens had slipped under the radar because of too-well-kept secrecy?...

Sendra went through the door. "Bye Grandpa" she half-sang.

Mithos shut the door behind him and walked forward, automatically skirting bushes and things that would try to trip him. "Well, now we know you've got blood of the Mana lineage in you for sure..." he said distractedly, tugging at his capelet

She followed along. "So now wha?" she asked, nodding. She was half in her own world and half listening to Mithos.

He stopped abruptly, staring blankly ahead of him. "We have a lot of searching to do. Records, papers, charts, books... Find out perhaps how your grandfather kept your father such a good secret."

"It's more likely that my grandmother hid it. Since she ran away." she replied.

"Mm, and it's possible she didn't know she was with one of the Mana lineage..." he said, nodding. "That's what I'm hoping for at any rate. Less toes I have to step on that way."

"I doubt she did, just doesn't really make sense otherwise." she said, skipping a bit.

He made a noise of understanding, closing one eye in slight annoyance. "This will take some time and effort. I don't want any of the Mana lineage to escape, lest the one that escapes is a match for Martel's signature..." he sighed. "Though I suppose it won't do any good to trace lines anywhere before a century ago... Too much of the line would have bred out by now of any older lines."

"Mm... Perhaps, while you do that, I can start looking into the other leak?" she asked, rather anxious to start looking into that. Sounded fun. :DDD

He regarded her for a moment, then nodded. "You should deal with Yuan on that. He'll be helpful." he stopped again and held out a hand toward her. "I'll take you back to Derris-Kharlan so we can track him down."

She nodded, catching up and holding out her hand, pretty used to him carting her around by now.


	12. She Got Sploded

In a flash, they were again in Derris-Kharlan, in the entrance hall of Vinheim. And in another flash, he was his adult self, glaring about at the angels who were floating around lazily. "I wonder what would be the easiest way to find him..." he thought aloud, pausing to stare blankly at a particular spot in the wall.

She rolled her eyes. "I don't understand. You're pretty dang intimidating and yet people still laze about." she said, quiet but loud enough that if someone wanted to they could overhear.

He smirked. "They do so because they have no other purpose for the moment. I don't trust most of them with a job of the caliber either of us are about to embark on. They're mostly free to do as they please unless they get a direct order."

"...o.O In that case, why hire them to laze about?" she said, shrugging. "So...Yuan is one of the ones who's been with you from the start?"  
His smirk widened, choosing not to elaborate on her first question. He began walking in no particular direction, half his mind on her and half on finding Yuan. "Yes. He's another half-elf who came with us when Martel and I were found out to be half-elves."

"And was engaged to Martel, right?" she said, following him, not skipping, more interested in her current job. "And one of the few whom you trust with the plans that have been leaked?"

"Yes," he said, stopping before an odd-looking block in the wall. He placed a hand on it and it revealed a hidden passage and another long dark hallway. "He and Kratos are the only ones who know my plans in full. Apart from those they were leaked to at any rate." he said, starting down the passage. Torches burst into life as they passed, as if they responded to the presence of someone.

"In that case, could you just reintroduce us then go off to do something else? If he's one of the ones that could have done it, no matter how trustworthy he is, if he did it he shouldn't know what I'm doing." she said.

Yggdrasill 'hmm'ed lightly, thinking that over. "I suppose," he muttered, not seeming to like the idea of the possibility that Yuan was the traitor. The passageway ended in a long-looking spiral staircase, and rather then climb the stairs, he merely made his wings appear and flew upward instead. Handy. :D

She blinked at his wings for a second, then made her own appear and caught up to him. She began contemplating what, exactly, to do when meeting up with Yuan again. A wicked smile spread across her face for a moment when she got an idea, though Yggdrasill didn't see it. He landed lightly on the floor the staircase stopped on and caused his wings to fade away once more.

Without even bothering to glance at her, he walked down this hall now, this one basically empty of doors other then one largeish one in the very middle of the hallway. "We'll check here first. :/ He tends to vanish without a trace occasionally..."

She nodded, her own wings disappearing before she had completely touched down. She recomposed her face and took on a less wicked look, and more of a ditzy one.

He approached the door and whacked it a few times with the back of his hand, looking vaguely annoyed. It was a moment before the door opened and Yuan stood there, the hair that was usually covering one eye currently brushed behind his oddly not-pointed ear, holding a quill in one hand. He blinked. "Ah. O.o Good day, my Lord." he said, glancing at Sendra. "What brings you here?"

Sendra smiled at him, then went on to examine the doorframe with wide eyes, keeping silent...for now.

Yggdrasill glanced at Sendra as well, blinking lightly. He grabbed her casually by the wrist and brought her around to stand in front of him. "Surely you remember Sendra," he said, staring down at the green-clad half-elf. "I'm leaving her in your care for the moment."

Sendra didn't make much reaction to being grabbed, but stared at Yuan with those still rather wide and oddly creepy looking eyes. "Hiiiiiiiii" she chimed, giggling.

Yuan stared blankly at her for a good fifteen seconds before looking back up quizzically at Yggdrasill. "Might I ask why, my Lord?" he said, blinking. Yggdrasill smirked. "Turns out she's got an interesting background. Escaped from the careful scrutiny I've placed the Mana line under. I've got to make sure there've been no other escapees, and..." he glanced back down at Sendra. "I'm afraid she'd be a bit of a nuisance."

Sendra nodded an almost violent looking nod, but said nothing. Though, she let her knees drop out from under her and, if Mithos didn't hold her up...Oh well! 8D

Yggdrasill grimaced slightly and held the hand still around her wrist up so she dangled an inch or so off the ground. Yuan stared down at Sendra with an expression of slight disgust on his face. "Very... well then," he muttered. "She'll be fine under my watch. . "

"I don't wanna be a watch. ):" she said plainly, pouting up at Yuan. She let herself dangle.

"..." Yuan stared blankly at Sendra, and Yggdrasill had to fight hard to keep his face straight at that. "Wonderful. See you later, then." he said, smirking lightly and vanishing, causing Sendra to drop that inch or so to the floor. Yuan did not look happy about this.

Sendra made it look rather realistic as she crumpled to the floor. Laying there for about a half a second before flopping over and staring, upside-down at Yuan. "HI AGAIN. 8D"

He stared just as blankly as before at her for several seconds before turning wordlessly and strolling back into his extremely cluttered room. The soft carpet was a deep red just as the single couch was, and there were several tables and rickety-looking wooden chairs; though all surfaces other then most of the floor and the couch were covered in papers, files and other such junk. Yuan just sort of expected Sendra to follow him inside as he bent over a table to scribble something on a bit of paper.

Sendra flopped over and noisily stumbled/danced/walked(?) over towards where he was, tripping and falling flat on her face right next to him. "This floor doesn't smell good. Make it better. x:"

He paused mid-word, looking sideways and down at her for a few seconds, before apparently deciding that ignoring her to the best of his ability might make this a less painful experience. He finished off whatever he was writing and rolled up the parchment, his quill vanishing into thin air.

She started giggling, face still firmly planted in the floor...And she just didn't really stop. One couldn't even be sure she was breathing, just giggling nonstop. :B

He stared down at her, quickly realizing that ignoring her was out of the question if she stopped breathing. He shook his head, staring unblinkingly at her. "Well now." he muttered. "I'd thought you were somewhat sane last time I saw you."

She rolled over and, rather than looking at him, apparently talked to the ceiling. "I dun member seein' YOU here before ;DDDD" she said, somehow now sounding like a drunken idiot rather than a normal-brand idiot.

He stared for a few moments longer. "...You can't possibly be that stupid and still alive after being in Lord Yggdrasill's company." he muttered dully, crossing the room and sitting on the couch to watch her from a distance.

She shot upwards, grinning stupidly. "Youmeantightpantzman? He's AWESOME." she squee'd, waving her arms about for no apparent reason.

He blinked in alarm. "...WHAT did you call him? o.o;"

She turned towards him and beamed "Tightpantzman. It's what he iiiiis...You're Stinkoman. ):"

"...right," he said in a somewhat weak way. "There is NO WAY you could be that stupid and still alive. What's your story?" he asked, narrowing his eyes lightly at her.

She gasped dramatically and clapped her hands "OHYAYSTORYTIME." she squee'd, proceeding to tell the story of Rapunzel, forgetting most of it anyway.

He stared blankly for several minutes, listening to her broken-up story numbly. "...SHUT. UP." he called finally, glaring at her, though the effect was lost somewhat due to only being able to see half his face again.

She stopped abruptly, staring at him and apparently frozen mid-word. "...D: YOU DIDN'T LIKE MY STORY?!"

He stood up, glaring down at her now. "That is not the kind of story I was looking for. x:" he said plainly. "Start talking like a rational being, the one I know you pretty much have to be, or else I'll make you talk."

Her eyes widened considerably, and after a moment of silence, she shrieked and crawled under a table. Her 'hidey spot' was rather obvious, but she watched him from there, looking afraid to the point of comical.

He groaned and flopped back onto the couch, looking exasperated. Fine, lets see how sane she gets if he plays along with her little game. :/

After a minute or so, she backed up, now on the other side of the table from him. She peeked up over it, blinking at him, apparently checking if he was still there and/or could see her.

He still watched her cautiously, more to make sure she didn't get into anything she needn't. What the hell was UP with her?  
After another minute or two, it appeared that she grew bored or forgot what she was afraid of, and started gnawing on the table. "Mraaaaar. :KKK"

"..." he stared blankly for a few moments, then shook his head, unrolling his scroll from before and reading it over. How much damage could she do to the table, after all?

She eventually gave up on the table and, mumbling something about "stupid not-tasty tables", she crawled over to the other end of the couch than the one he was on, and inspected the various scrolls that were on it...By sniffing them.

He looked up from his scroll, watching her closely and cautiously. Those she could hurt. :/

She picked one up and stared at it for a weirdly (for her in this state, anyway) long while, and then started looking hungry.

Oh, wonderful. Yuan shook his head lightly, clicking his fingers and causing the scroll in her hands to jerk out of her grip and upward, floating just out of her reach.

She stared wide-eyed at it, and apparently reluctant to get off her knees, she attempted to reach it. Pouting after a little bit of this, she kept it up nonetheless.

The scroll drifted off to the side, back toward Yuan. He was interested to see if she'd follow the thing or not.

She did, of course. It was the only thing in this place that looked worth giving chase to, anyway...Though she immediately tripped and fell forward, face-down in his boots now.

The scroll floated down and landed neatly next to him on the couch as he leaned forward to stare at Sendra. "Are you alright:/" he asked, painfully unconcerned.

She leaned up, shaking her head in an almost dog-ish way, and glared at his boots. "THAT HURTED. X:" she proceeded to prattle off a list of completely bogus and inconceivable reasons why his boots owed her money now.

This was almost comical. Yuan let her ramble, watching with a fakely-interested expression on his face while trying not to burst out laughing at a couple of her reasons.

"AND FOR THE ICE-ED CREEMZ YOU PWOMISED ME LAST WEEK!" she finished, sitting back and crossing her arms. She huffed and refused to look in the general direction of his boots.

He was smiling now, watching her. "You're almost adorable." he said, chuckling lightly.

She snapped out of her huff immediately, zipping up onto the couch and sitting oddly close to him "Reeeeeeeeeeally?" she beamed, looking at him sideways with some sort of a "cute look".

He leaned sideways, away from her, not having expected her to do that. "Yes," he said, blinking. "Note the word 'almost."

She just leaned more towards him, either not noticing or just plain ignoring his second sentence. "Awwww. That's so nice of you to say, Stinkoman" she giggled.

As he was sitting on the end of the couch, he couldn't really lean any more away from her. ":/ I don't even want to know why you are calling me that."

She reached over and poked his head. "'Cuz it's your name, silly." she said, backing off a bit and choosing to instead flop down so she was laying on her stomach next to him, proping her chin up in her hands, she beamed at him, feet flopping about behind her but not hitting anything...besides each other, anyway.

"Actually, my name is Yuan." he said, sitting up straighter and looking at her patronizingly.

"That's what I said, Stinkoman." she beamed still, boots whacking against each other with dull "thuds" every once and a while, but she didn't seem to notice.

"...I see," he said, faking a smile at her that didn't really look fake. "And what is your name, then?

"Seeeendra" she chimed, now bouncing from side to side.

Well, she knew her own name anyway. He nodded, still smiling at her. "And why are you here?"

She blinked, pausing in the bouncing/beaming. "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhdunno." she shrugged, returning to bouncing. D

"Of course," he said dully, sighing. He patted her on the head idly, looking back at the scroll in his other hand.

She froze again, deciding to play with his mind. Her eyes went slightly out of focus.

He didn't notice, looking at the scroll. His hand rested on the top of her head now, only dully registering the fact that she'd stopped moving.

"Shiiiiinyyyyyy..." she said slowly, apparently memorized by something he couldn't see.

He looked around at her, blinking. Experimentally, he took his hand off of her head to see what'd happen.

She resumed her bouncing immediately, humming to some odd tune now.

"...Interesting." he muttered, letting his hand drop back onto her head.

She stopped again. "...Trippy, mannnn" she said, blinking at a point in space.

He 'hmm'ed, but took his hand off of her head again, figuring that whatever bizarre effect that had on her would wear off. Best to save it for when she was being horribly annoying.

She resumed bouncing for a moment or two, and then stopped on her own for no real reason, though she got this odd look to her. Mischievous? If you could call it that. :/

He wasn't paying attention anymore, again reading his scroll, though keeping it carefully out of both her reach and line of sight.

She wasn't terribly interested in it anyway. After a moment of keeping still, she leaned down quickly and bit his leg. Expecting him to be a rather powerful angel, she didn't bother not trying to actually hurt him. He'd get over it. :B

He winced lightly, though it was more out of surprise then pain. He looked down, annoyed. "Sendra," he breathed, forcing his expression back to one of calmness. "Why did you just bite me?"

She leaned up again, blinking at him. "Hmmm?...Umumumumum...YOUCAN'TPROVEANYTHING D: " she said quickly, though she didn't actually move.

He stared levelly at her, then raised his hand and again placed it on top of her head. Maybe it was worth tying something to the top of her head to get her to sit still...

She froze again, forcing her eyes out of focus once more and staring off into space. "Preeeettiesssss..."

He shook his head gently. "What do you see, Sendra?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Shinysplodies." she said slowly, mesmerized by whatever she was supposedly seeing, anyway.

He took his hand off of her head, hovering it several inches above her. "Why do you see these... 'shinysplodies'...?" he said, mimicking her speech for simplicity.

She blinked, staring up at him with an eyebrow raised. "What'sa shinysplodies? You're not making any sense, Stinkoman. x:" she appeared to have snapped out of whatever happened when her head was touched.

"..." He placed his hand back on top of her head. "Why do you see the shinysplodies:/" He repeated.

She returned to the trance-like state. "Ooooooh They look like the ones I saw when I got sploded. D:" she nodded.

"...When you got sploded," Yuan said, staring blankly at her. "What does that mean?"

She huffed. "Just what I said it means, dummy! It means I got sploded in the head!" she said, sounding annoyed that he didn't understand her.

"I see," he said, this was making a bit more sense. A bit. "When did you get... ah... sploded in the head?"

"When the mean old lady got madded at me. Tightpantzman was there, too!" she giggled. "It was pwetty."

"I see..." he mused. "Now it makes sense." he said, shaking his head and sitting back, taking his hand off her head again.

She rolled over (thrashing about mildly in doing so) and whacked her head down on his leg where she'd bit him and used him as a pillow.

He stared down at her. "...Again, you're almost adorable. :/" he shook his head, sighing. "I can see why Yggdrasill wanted you out of his hair."

She blinked at the ceiling. "I agree. Tightpantzman had pretty hair." she beamed.

"..." he blinked. "Pleeeease let this be over soon." he muttered, looking away.

She either didn't hear or didn't care "...Waaaait. x:" she sat up and turned around, peering at him (once again, uncomfortably close). "Why'd you say pretties to Tightpantzman's pretty hair? x:"

He leaned as far away from her as he could, which was admittedly not very far away. He couldn't make heads or tails of what she'd just said. "...What?"

"YOU GAY!?!?" she eyed him. If some unfortunate angel was passing by the door, they'd probably have heard her for how loud she'd said that.

He stared blankly at her, then burst out laughing, rolling slightly to the side and away from her. "Ahaha, no." he said flatly, shaking his head in disbelief at his misfortune at being set to the task of babysitter.

She leaned up on her knees, eyeing him still with her hands on her hips. "Mm. You don't look gay anyway. x: I suppose you not, then." she muttered, sitting back on her knees and bouncing on the couch again.

He sat up straight, looking at her and still smiling vaguely. Time to find something to tie to her head. He put his hand on top of her head again, staring at her closely for any changes.

She once again stopped whatever she was doing and stared off into space. "PRETTYSTUFF D:"

"Hmm..." Yuan mused, turning slightly so he was facing her more properly and leaning forward toward her, increasing the pressure on the top of her head slightly.

She stared past him, still looking very zoned out. Brain-gears turning into how she would get out of this.

He leaned forward slightly more, apparently without realizing it, staring into her eyes and trying to see a spark of realization behind them, something other then the zoned-out-ness. Now no more then six inches away from her, he increased the pressure on her head slightly more, though it was still not enough to actually hurt.

She blinked a few times, eyes coming into focus and she stared at him. "...GJJK, YUAN, WHAT THE--!?" she half-yelled, falling backwards into the couch and away from him.

He jerked backwards in alarm, but snorted with laughter. "Finally. I was beginning to think you'd never snap out of it."

She stared at him. "What in the HELL were you doing THAT CLOSE TO MY FACE!?" she glared, still appearing slightly shocked.

He raised both hands in defense, still smirking. "Don't worry! I had to get that close to snap you out of whatever strange trance you were in."

She relaxed slightly. "Lucky I recognized your hair, was about to scream rape." she muttered, then she registered what he just said. "...Trance...?" she asked putting one hand on her head.

He smiled in a slightly sheepish way. "Yes, trance. Prancing around my office like a precocious three-year-old. You even bit me."

She stared. "...er...What? Last thing I remember some grumpy old hag shot some...spell thing at me...ow.." she trailed off, rubbing her head lightly. "Where'd Mithos go, anyway? o.e;"

He paused, staring at her. He blinked a couple times, clearing his throat. "Looking into something regarding the Mana line," he said, brow furrowed. "Did you just call him Mithos...?"

She blinked. "...Yes...Oh, wait, whoops. Um." she blushed faintly. "Lord Yggdrasill." she corrected herself, even if it was far too late for that.

Yuan crossed his arms. "Nuh-uh, too late for that. Does he actually allow you to call him by his first name?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, and I'm sure he has his own reasons why." she said, shifting on the couch so she was less...crumpled up at one end and more sitting.

He 'hmm'ed lightly but said nothing more on it, watching her closely. "Well then, tell me about this old hag that hit you with a spell."

She relaxed a bit more, shaking her head to clear it, though she appeared to still have a headache. "Leaving my grandfathers hermitage, the old bat started following us. Couldn't very well teleport with her there, so we kept going in hopes of losing her." she muttered, sighing. "She finally ended up begging for food from a distance, neither of us had anything but she wouldn't take no for an answer and she just attacked. I'm a skilled fighter, but sadly I'm not wonderful against magic. No clue what she hit me with but damnit it hurt."

Yuan listened, nodding. Flimsy as it may be, he bought it well enough. "Explains it. Being 'sploded in the head' doesn't sound fun." he smirked at her.

She blinked, looking over at him. "Being whut."

He shrugged. "It's how you described what happened. Don't ask me."

She looked utterly confused. "And I bit you?" she licked her teeth, looking very slightly disgusted.

"Yep," he said, smirking at her. "In the leg."

She twitched faintly. "Gehhh... if I was in a better mood that might not freak me out as much. .;" she muttered.

"I won't elaborate on the other strange things you did, then." he said, shaking his head lightly. "Whatever you got hit with, it was a doozy."

She turned faintly pink. "I'm sure I probably don't want to know at the moment." she mumbled, sitting up straighter and attempting to move on with her life. "Anyway. What're you doing, then?"

"Other then babysitting you?" he chuckled. "Nothing you need to be concerned with."

"...Mm'kay. I'll rephrase it then. What're we doing now since you've apparently been charged with watching me:/"

He 'hm'ed shortly. "If I tried to do any of my usual work with you hovering around it would be just as boring as if you'd been left with Yggdrasill." he paused. "I wonder. Have you met Kratos yet?"

She blinked, mentally bringing up who Kratos was again. "Ah, no. Not yet, anyway." she shrugged.

"Would you like to?" he asked, figuring this'd be more interesting for her then anything else he could think of.

She chuckled. "I'll have to sooner or later, might as well meet him now." she nodded.

He stood up. "He was in Ozette last I heard. Can you teleport?" he asked, looking at her.

She stood as well. "Mm, yes, but I have not been to Ozette before, and haven't tried teleporting any decent distance yet." she said, smirking. "Better built for manual travel."

He 'hm'ed. "Very well." he said, extending a hand toward her. "I'll take you, then. Shall we?"

She nodded, taking his hand. "Aye, we shall." she smiled.


	13. The Third Seraphim

In the blink of the eye, they stood in the center of the treebound city of Ozette, near the center of Tethe'alla. Several people glanced in their direction but none seeming concerned that two people had just appeared out of nowhere. Not unless they looked a little closer anyway. Yuan led her out and up the trunk of a great, twisted tree that had grown flat on one side from all the people walking across it through the years. "He should be around here... somewhere..."

She followed along, looking around and absorbing everything around her again.

A noise behind them made Yuan spin around in slight alarm, but he stopped short upon the sight of the auburn-haired, indigo-clad man that had just jumped down from tree branches somewhere above. "Kratos! There you are."

Kratos didn't say anything at first, staring in a calculating way at Sendra. He turned his attention to Yuan. "What are you doing here, and who is she?"

"Sendra." she said simply, smiling.

Kratos looked at her again before turning his attention back to Yuan, who cleared his throat. "We can't talk completely freely here. Shall we go to the wastelands near here for a moment?" Kratos turned his head to the side in slight confusion but nodded. The wastelands. What an odd place to pick.

Sendra looked confused as well, but shrugged. She wasn't familiar with a whole lot of what was going on, so she just followed along.

Yuan took Sendra's hand and teleported them to what was, well... a wasteland space. Dead plants and menacing-looking creatures roamed nearby, though there wasn't another sentient being around. Kratos appeared next to Sendra a moment later, looking annoyed. "What is this about?"

Sendra looked at both of them, still rather confused about what Yuan was so careful about, but was still quiet.

Yuan glanced at her before speaking to Kratos, seemingly weighing his choice of words. "Sendra is a new initiate to Cruxis and one that Yggdrasill seems to have taken a liking to. One of the Mana line that went unnoticed due to circumstances I am... admittedly not aware of. I thought it wise to let you know of her existence as well should Yggdrasill call upon you for assistance in his task of locating where her bloodline escaped us."

"The last recorded of my relatives by Cruxis was Faelut Harn. My grandfather." she said, crossing her arms.

Kratos gazed at her with renewed interest, his expression unreadable. "So you're only a quarter of the Mana line. But enough to get Yggdrasill's interest?" Yuan remained silent, watching Sendra with his arms crossed in front of him again.

"Mithos valued the skills I have, admittedly he doesn't have anything for me to DO right now, but he wants me to be there if he needs me for anything." she said, looking between the two.

Kratos's eyes narrowed at the word 'Mithos' but said nothing on it. "I see. And what skills are these?"

"Before and for a day or so after I met him, I was an assassin. Trained myself in doing my work quickly and only letting people know about it when I want them to and only when, never before. Good at pulling things off flawlessly, and planning ways to do things when secrecy is of the essence." she said, pulling her spear out of its sheath on her back and taking the spear head off, reclining on the handle.

Kratos nodded in understanding, his interest mounting. "That will be of use to Cruxis. Have you a proper title then? Surely you cannot outrank Yuan or myself, but what of the other angels?"

"Honestly I have no idea. Though both Mithos and Yuan know that I take orders as I see fit, usually from those that I respect." she said, firmly.

Kratos chuckled lightly. "And are you one to respect easy, or is it a difficult thing to earn?"

"Depends on who you are, and what you are asking of me. It is not difficult to get me to do something for you, just be reasonable." she said, shaking her bangs away again.

Kratos seemed satisfied. "Fair enough. You seem one of rational thought. You should fit in well."

She bowed lightly. "Thank you. I think Mithos mentioned you were following the current Chosen...?"

Kratos made a slightly irritated noise. "Not much to keep watch over. I'm just glad this is the Chosen of the flourishing world, if she was one of the declining world, it would be a lost cause."

Yuan looked curious. "Why?"

Kratos sighed. "She hates leaving her house. Fears fresh air or something equally ridiculous."

"Germophobe?" Sendra laughed lightly. "Interesting."

Kratos smirked. "Quite possibly. At least it's nearing time to choose a new Chosen. This one isn't suitable for the job."

"Mm." she attached her spearhead again. "So you usually follow the Chosens to make sure things go right?" she asked.

Kratos shook his head. "Not usually, I just spend the most time on earth so it's simpler for me to do it when it is needed. We've been getting odd readings from Ozette in the past several weeks and wish to make sure the Chosen is unharmed, even if she is going to be replaced shortly."

"Ah... Odd readings? Like...what?" she asked. Ahh, questions. :DDD

Kratos was silent for a moment, apparently deciding how much she needed to know or would understand at this point. "Various fluctuations in the Mana of the area. One day it'll be vastly higher then it should be, the next vastly lower. We're still not sure what it's linked to."

Yuan nodded. "That's what I was researching when you dropped into my hands." he told Sendra. "Trying to pinpoint a reason for the fluctuations."

"I see. Though, aren't there a bunch of people trying to stop Cruxis?...Mithos mentioned it a while ago." Yay slipping why she was actually there into a conversation!

Kratos made a noise of irritation. "They call themselves the Renegades. They've thrown several wrenches into our plans and we haven't yet figured out how."

Yuan nodded again. "Our well-kept secrets are being found somehow, and those that are finding them are doing very good jobs at hiding themselves."

"So...there's a leak somehow?" she asked, sounding innocent.

"Not necessarily." Kratos said. "It's possible that they're just very good guessers, though that is unlikely."

"Another possibility is that one of the Renegades is within Cruxis and is sneaking their way into the documented plans, though they're kept under strict security already." Yuan said, sounding slightly frustrated. "If so, we can't for the lives of us find who it is."

"Who'd know where these things are?" she asked, hoping it wouldn't be too suspicious...

"All the guards and most of the upper-class angels." Yuan said. "Though it could be anyone with access to the castle."

"Blah. So why haven't you sent someone from Cruxis into the Renegades to try and figure it out?"

Kratos turned his head to the side, gazing at her. "You think we know where they're stationed?"

Yuan looked increasingly annoyed. "They're well-hidden to the point of vanishing whenever we get near. We'll find some definitive clue to where they're stationed and then find evidence that they're nowhere near where we were looking before."

She resisted laughing. "Interesting, so they're moving?" she asked. "Or are they in different places and possibly using cloaking of some sort?"

Kratos nodded. "The latter. It's unlikely an organization of their size could move around easily."

"Even if we could find them, I doubt we could just send anyone in to check them out anyway." Yuan said. "I would imagine their security is top-notch, going off of how long it's taken us to learn what we have already about them."

She looked at them both for a moment. "Ah. Well, I think I might go visit an old friend, my old horse. Thank you, Yuan, for carting me around for a bit, but I think I can manage myself now." she said, smiling, if a bit mischievously, before putting her spear back into its sheath on her back.

Yuan looked slightly uneasy about that, but nodded. "So long as you return to Yggdrasill before he comes looking for you. I'll be the one to blame if he thinks you're still acting like a child and wandering about unsupervised." Kratos looked puzzled for a moment, but decided not to ask, shaking his head.

Her minds eye smiled and almost laughed again, Yggdrasill knew she was perfectly sane. "Thank you, but if he does come looking for me, he would probably find you first. Just tell him I am with Brunt, he'll know what that means." she said, turning to leave. "...Oh, and if he comes to get me, tell him to bring a helmet." she grinned over her shoulder and vanished. She appeared again at the lake in Sylvarant, Lake Umacy, to visit with Brunt. An hour or two later, she closed her eyes in careful concentration. After several more minutes of concentration, she managed to teleport to somewhere inside Derris-Kharlan, rather proud that she managed to make it there without going off into space. :B

Inside Derris-Kharlan was all well and good, but Derris-Kharlan was such a vast, mostly-empty space that it was difficult to tell just where one was at any given moment unless they were near the castle. Luckily enough, she didn't seem deep in, as several angels mingled among the monsters that inhabited this area, honing their skills with swords, spears and arrows. Several looked around at her when she appeared, instantly recognizing her as a superior.

She headed for the castle, looking at and taking a deep breath. Time ta dive in! She headed for the doors.

The great leopard that guarded the castle flicked an ear, opening one eye as she approached. "Best take the long, staircase-way, hon." she said, in a throaty and ethereal voice. "This door leads nowhere you need to be." she flicked her tail and then pointed a large paw toward a door to the left. "You'll find who you're looking for quick enough if you go that way."

Sendra blinked at her, then shrugged and headed for the other door. Eh, if all else fails she can probably just take herself back to the beginning. TO THE OTHER DOOR! D:

Various angels carrying spears much fancier then her own passed, not sparing her a glance from their own tasks. Many of them held clipboards, others just held their weapons protectively and muttered to themselves as they glided down the hall, none of them actually walking.

Sendra preferred walking for the moment, shaking her bangs away she walked through the castle. Heeeeretightpantsduuuuude...

Yggdrasill had just managed to retrace the last of the Tethe'alla line, and was decently satisfied that there had only been one other person that had escaped their knowledge on that side. Deciding to take a break and find out how Sendra had gotten along, he focused for a moment on her mana signature. Smirking slightly, he vanished and appeared at a point about a foot in front of her, looking innocent as he could in his adult form.

"YAY I didn't have to go far How'd the family line thingy go?" She asked, beaming lightly at the fact that she was alone for a few hours without exploding something. ...or something.

He sighed. "Tedious, but I think I've found the only other branch that went unnoticed. Something within the church will need to be stepped up but what I am not yet sure. I'll have to go over Sylvarant before I'll know what change to make."

"I've met with Kratos and Yuan both. Yuan was really fun to freak out. :D It's good to lose your mind every once and a while." she said, looking very slightly psychotic.

He chuckled. "Kratos is more fun to freak out if you can withstand the repercussions." he said slyly, turning and beckoning her to follow him further down the hall.

"I may have to get another "concussion" then..." she followed. "My excuse for Yuan was that I got sploded in da hed by an ugly lady. And it huwt a lawt." she said, grinning. "You should have been there. He was so frustrated. Especially when I bit him. 8DDD"

He paused mid-step and stared blankly forward for a moment before laughing. "You BIT him?"

"Yep. And when he asked what my story was I started to talk about Rapunzel. And then started wailing when the threatened to 'make me talk'. :D" she said, grinning up at him innocently in a mischievous way, however that's possible.

He shook his head, grinning, and slipped through a hidden door, grabbing her by the wrist to make sure she didn't keep walking and go '...Wtf O.o'.

She made a surprised noise when being pulled through the door. "...:o Door."

He pushed her ahead of him down the narrow passageway, toward a dark door at the end. "Where exactly did you bite Yuan...?" he asked, sounding halfway between amused and exasperated.

"Leg. Not too hard, though." she said, ever looking around and taking in things around her. Of the things she could see, anyway.

He shook his head, chuckling again as the door at the end of the corridor opened on its own and revealed what must have been his private study, walls absolutely covered in books and several stories tall, and a simple if mostly-unnecessary seating arrangement in the center of the room, armchairs and other creature comforts of long-forgotten needs. He smiled down at her. "Make yourself at home. I'll need to find somewhere for you to actually call home up here..."

She looked around the room. "Thanks." she said, smiling. "Now I'll have to remember where it is." she laughed a little, although she could probably figure out where it was.

He smiled, crossing the room and settling in an armchair. "It's not as bad once you get used to it. Flying is generally quicker to get around in here unless you're navigating the halls of the castle."

"If I hadn't found you as soon as I had, I'dve probably started flying." she said, sitting in another chair. She paused for a while. "I'm not sure if you'd want to know about the, if minor, things I've thought about the leak to the Renegades. I haven't actually gathered much evidence but...just things I noticed in the company of Kratos and Yuan." she said, trying to chose her words.

He gazed at her thoughtfully for a moment. "What kind of things?"

"Slipping the issue into the conversation, I just noticed that Yuan seemed to be talking more about the Renegades than Kratos. Talking about them with a more 'it's hopeless we won't find them' tone. May be just me but it's something to keep in mind." she said, leaning back

He was silent for a few moments, before nodding. "It's something to keep in mind for certain..." he said. "Though, as you'll get to know Kratos, you'll find he speaks rarely unless absolutely needed. If Yuan could supply you with the information needed, he had little reason to speak."

"Yes, but the tone of voice still makes me slightly suspicious. But as I said, that's all I've gotten so far, and it is by no means much." she said, looking around again, watching his reactions.

His expression didn't really change but he sat with some rigidity, it was clear he didn't totally like what he was hearing. "Very well..." he said after a few moments. "I thank you for taking this job on. I can trust that you aren't the one leaking anything because you only just got here, at any rate."

"It gives me something to do. Anything to further a good cause." she waved a hand to him.

He smiled vaguely. "Out of curiosity, what made you start to think my cause was good and I was doing it the right way?" he asked, looking at her again. "You seemed against it at first."

"Not against you. Not against your cause, I was unsure. I thought about several things when we were going over the ocean there, about my parents. It's amazing what thinking can do..." she mused, trailing off.

"You have a lot of time for that up here." he said in an almost dull voice, staring blankly ahead of him again.

She laughed a little. "Which is why it's fun to lose your mind sometimes. Bite a few legs!"

He smiled vaguely again, eyes rather blank. "That's easier said then done."

"Whyzzat?" she asked, looking at him in an 'I can shoot down anything you say right now. :D' look.

He glanced at her. "I have an image to keep, both to myself and to Cruxis. Plus... it's been too long since I was a little kid and could get away with that kind of thing."

"Sounds like a personal problem. :D" she said, shaking those DARNED BANGS away. ):

That made him smile. "I suppose it is. When you're as old as I am, you tend to forget things of youth. Though..." he sighed. "I miss dreaming.

That's one of the things I remember clearest from before I acquired my crystal. The ability to sleep... and dream."

"Daydreaming just isn't the same is it?" She smiled slightly.

He shook his head. "You control those almost entirely. Sleeping dreams, you have little control over."

"Very true." she said, "Then again it may just be my mind, it comes up with the weirdest things, daydreaming or not."

He nodded, chuckling. "Hope you can retain that. Though I doubt you'll lose that skill, it's ingrained in your personality."


	14. I'm Goin Unda Covah!

The city of Sybak gleamed in the afternoon sun, both from the sky and reflected off the nearby ocean. Scholars of all ages trotted around the main city, running in and out of the large library, to and from the University where all studies went on. Overall bustling, though a few quieter students and researchers sat around the edges of the city square, shopped in the little market, or else chatted with the bizarre pink cat-creature standing behind a booth. Everything seemed normal.

Sendra rode into the city and didn't slow down in the least, that'll change that "normal" bit. She pulled up in front of the library and came to a screeching halt. Brunt heaved up on his hind legs for the stop and slammed them down on the ground again. "Ahh... I almost forgot how good that was..." she mused, leaning forward on Brunt's neck and waiting for someone to get within a few feet of her.

Several of the scholars looked around in alarm as she rode up, and not one of them seemed to want to get near her for fear of something. The pink cat-creature however, meowed and walked up to her. "Meow!" it said, beaming up at Sendra. "That's a nice horse. What's his name?"

"Brunt." she smiled, leaning up. "Would you happen to know where Earnia Willough is?" she asked, tightening her grip on the reins.

The cat wagged its tail, smiling with its human-face. "Meow!! She's in the cafeteria of the main University. I'm afraid Brunt won't be able to go in there."

She nodded. "Understandable" She shook her bangs away, hopping off Brunt and turning back to pet his nose "Stay here, 'kay?" she said, Brunt snorted in recognition. She smiled to the cat creature. "Thank you, you're welcome to pet Brunt, he's perfectly friendly. I'll be back later." she sauntered into the University.

The cat creature meowed again happily and patted Brunt as Sendra walked away, its tail wagging. The cafeteria was an easy place to spot owing to the numerous people going in and out of it. Inside were several long tables, each scattered with people munching on something or another. At the very end of the table nearest the door sat a girl with very long red hair tipped with blue, wearing strange grey-and-green robes with a purple skirt and reading a book, humming pleasantly to herself.

Sendra caught the nearest person going out. "Could you tell me who Earnia Willough is?" she asked, smiling cheerfully.

The young man nodded to the redhead with a wary look. "That's Earnia. Careful, she's an odd person..."

"Ahh, but to another odd person, she may be normal and you are the weird one." she said, still smiling as she wandered off towards Earnia.

The person she had stopped blinked several times, an eyebrow raised, before shrugging and wandering off. Earnia took no notice of anyone around her, just continued to hum as she read.

Sendra sat behind Earnia, smiling a little as she reached out and grabbed a little of Earnia's hair and braided it, being rather silent as she did so.

Earnia didn't notice until she turned a page and her hair didn't turn with her head. "Wha... Oh! Hi!" she said, turning a little more to see what had her hair and seeing Sendra.

Sendra laughed weirdly. "Hi! I'm Sendra" she said cheerfully.

Earnia turned on the bench and smiled, holding out a hand. "Earnia. Nice to meet you!"

She shook Earnia's hand. "I like your hair, it's pretty!" she said slightly hyperly.

Earnia beamed, her book totally forgotten. "Thanks! I take a lot of pride in it." she grabbed a lock of her red hair and twiddled it between her fingers. "It's like a trademark or something."

"I'm kinda new here, someone pointed me to you and said you could show me around." she said, sounding slightly shy. Slightly.

She beamed still, snatching up her book. "Sure! Come on, we can start upstairs and work our way down." she said, standing up.

Sendra stood as well, ready to follow Earnia around.

Earnia led Sendra out the door and up the staircase, waving an arm to the huge skeleton that hung from the ceiling. "Dragon skeleton from waybackwhen. No idea where it came from. I'm not in the paleontology studies. 8D"

"Oooh... I flew on a dragon once... I'm sure it's pretty common here but it was amazing for me..." she said, following along and looking at the dragon skeleton.

She glanced over her shoulder at Sendra. "Really? I've never heard of that actually. That's really cool!"

"Flying was amazing! Over the ocean... I love water, especially just long expanses of it, no land in sight... It was fun." she said, smiling.

Earnia grinned, walking down a long hallway lined with identical doors. "I like the ocean too. Though I'm not sure if I'd like seeing it from up above. I like being on land too much."

"It felt like I was on land..." she smiled. "Land's good too, though." she said, following.

Earnia knocked on a door and entered, hanging onto the doorknob and leaning against the door. She beamed in at a short-haired, bespectacled person in the room who merely waved, up to his neck in plant material. He was apparently pruning the one extremely large plant in the room. "Alright there, Jeffy?" Earnia asked, looking concerned for a moment, but the man nodded and dived into the plant life with his hedge trimmer.

Sendra giggled lightly. "Cool..." she said, looking at all the pretty green stuffs.

Earnia shrugged and closed the door, continuing down the hall. "I have absolutely NO idea what he does in there." she said cheerfully, "But Jeffy's a cool guy."

"Endless pruning from the looks of those plants." she said, following along.

Earnia laughed. "That MUST be it." she said, grinning. "There's... ... really nothing else interesting on this floor. Down we go!" she said, stepping down the spiral staircase in the middle of the hall. "What're you here for, anyway?"

"...Actually I'm trying to find a place to live in Sybak..." she said, smiling weakly. "My parents were killed when I was younger, I go from place to place now."

Earnia looked at Sendra with a sad look on her face. "I'm from the same mould then. Been here long as I can remember, raised myself more or less. I don't even remember my parents."

"I remember my mom, any memories of my dad are kinda fuzzy..." she said, smiling bleakly. "It's just me and Brunt right now, not many want to be friends with me."

Earnia nodded, reaching the bottom of the stairs and standing in the middle of a hallway identical to the one they were just in. "I'll be your friend!" she said, grinning. "You can live with me!"

Sendra blinked in surprise. "Are you sure?...do you know what I am?" she asked.

Earnia blinked, staring at her. She had stopped walking. "...A... female? D"

"...Half elf..." she said quietly. "That's why not many want to be friends with me."

Earnia stood stock-still for a moment before grabbing Sendra by the shoulder and dragging her against the wall. "You'll want to be careful," she hissed, looking over her shoulder cautiously. "Half-elves here are treated really badly. They're locked in the cellar of the university, forced to work... never let out." she shuddered. "Rats in a cage. I'm glad nobody's figured out I'm one too... I don't know if I could get away if they did find out..." she swallowed and brushed hair behind her not-pointed ear. "Just lucky the human in me is dominant..."

Sendra stared for a moment. "Thank you..." she said, smiling a little. "For the warning..." she paused. "...Oh! Brunt, he's probably thirsty...and hungry, too." she said, looking out a nearby window.

"Who is Brunt anyway?" She asked, tilting her head to the side, her voice back to normal. "A pet of yours?"

"My horse." she smiled. "A good companion. Want to meet him?"

"Sure!" she said, beaming. "By the way, you gonna take up my offer on staying with me? My cottage was built for two people and I have more space then I know what to do with. :/"

She smiled. "If you're offering, I'll take it!" she beamed.

Earnia nodded, grinning. "Yay! Okay, Brunt will... be outside... D ... Door... " she mumbled, wandering down the hall a bit toward a door that was slightly different from the others.

"Just outside the university." Sendra said, following along.

Earnia opened the door and stepped outside, looking around. "... Walls. D" She said, having stepped into a kind of alley. "We take the long way. Race ya!"

She grinned. "Okay!" she said, taking off, going decently fast.

Earnia followed, her hair flying around behind her. Several people looked around in alarm but then went back to their tasks, realizing who it was running about. "I'mma beatcha!" she said, catching up to Sendra and just barely passing her.

Sendra grinned, leaping over a barrel in her way and leaning her head down, she pulled her spear out and pole-vaulted past Earnia, putting her spear back in its holster and whistling. Brunt, hearing said whistle, perked up and looked around for Sendra

"No fair!" Earnia called, skidding to a halt next to Sendra and panting, though grinning. "You win then."

Sendra grinned. "Running from mobs helps train agility." she said. Brunt trotted up and nuzzled Earnia in a way that meant "Ey. Wuzzis thingy :o"

Earnia beamed and patted Brunt on the nose. "Hello there!" she said, swinging her body about so her hair fluttered. "Nice to meet you."

Brunt snorted and shook his mane, apparently pleased with Earnia. Sendra smiled. "So where do you live?"

"Just outside city limits." she said, pointing off in the distance. "... Though you can't see it from here 'cuz of the wall. Come on." She said, walking off toward the entrance to the city.

Sendra grabbed her arm. "Wanna ride?" she said, waving to Brunt, who beamed proudly like he was a showhorse. In the words of Velma, what a ham. .

"...Sure!" Earnia said, beaming too. "Should be fun!"

Sendra grinned, hopping onto Brunt, and he trotted over to Earnia. Sendra held down a hand to help her on, and she got on with little difficulty, though her skirt didn't seem to like horseback riding. "...x; I'll remember to not wear this next time I ride."

Sendra smiled. "You might hold on." she said, nudging Brunt and he took off out of the city.

Earnia clung to whatever she could hold onto, a little weirded out. "Never ridden on a horse before..." she mumbled.

She laughed lightly. "Not many ride like I do." she said, "We can slow down if you'd rather."

"I'm good." she said. "Just don't go much faster. oo"

She smiled, "Which way?" she asked.

Earnia pointed off to the southwest. "Just stick near Sybak's wall and we'll get there."

Sendra nodded, directing Brunt in that direction. "I can teach you how to ride if you like." she offered.

"Maybe sometime," Earnia said, smiling. "The work at the academy keeps me pretty busy though. I'm their leading spellsinger. ...In fact I'm their only spellsinger."

"Basic riding isn't all that hard, and Brunt is a very complacent horse." she said, Brunt's ears perked up a bit.

Earnia giggled in a nervous way. The wall was getting shorter now and one could see the ocean nearing, and a group of cottages in a nice little complex. "There it is!"

Sendra had Brunt slow down a bit, by the time they reached the cottages he was in a walk.

Earnia pointed to one of them, the one nearest the ocean. "That's mine. You'd think everyone would want to move in due to it being closest to the water but I kinda creep most people out."

She laughed a little. "I can't imagine why, pfft. They don't know what they're missing." she said, walking Brunt to the cottage.

Earnia beamed and slid off of Brunt, walking over to her door and opening it with a key from her belt. "Welcome to my humble home. D"

She grinned, telling Brunt to stay there. "Do you have any lettuce or carrots or anything?" She asked. "And a bowl, maybe...?"

Earnia nodded. "Sure." she said, dropping her book and keys on a table next to the door and walking into what would be considered a kitchen.

She dug about in a cabinet for a moment and withdrew several carrots, an apple, and a large wooden bowl.

"Could you put some water in the bowl and take it out to Brunt?" She asked, taking the carrots from her. "Thank you again..."

"Sure!" she said, beaming and pouring some water in the bowl from a large tank in the corner. She carefully balanced the bowl and walked outside to where Brunt was.

Sendra was already out there, feeding him a carrot. "Thank you!"

"No problem." Earnia said, placing the bowl where Brunt could reach it. "So, wanderer, what brought you to Sybak of all places?" She asked, sitting on the bench outside the door and crossing her legs, watching Sendra.

"It was the first city I came to." she said, smiling a little, she handed Brunt another carrot.

"Well that makes sense." Earnia said, grinning. "You must have been in Meltokio before then. Or did you come through the forest of death?" she asked, chuckling. "The Gaoracchia forest scares a lot of people who need to get to Ozette."

"Meltokio." she said, putting the rest of the carrots and the apple next to the water bowl. Brunt munched and drank happily as Sendra took his saddle off.

She giggled. "Thought so. Hey, did you hear that rumor that we're going to be getting a new Chosen soon?" she asked, face aglow. "I wonder if it's going to be any of my family. One of my little cousins would be well-suited for the job, but maybe they're too young...or something."

Sendra smiled. "Of the Mana lineage?" She asked, setting his saddle down on the ground next to the bench and sitting next to Earnia.

She looked up at Sendra, blinking several times. "Not many outside the church know about my lineage. Most people just think Chosens are picked at random. Yeah, I'm of the Mana line."

Sendra smiled widely. "So am I." she said, looking at Earnia with a slightly smirkish smile.

Earnia raised her eyebrows. "Really? We're probably related then." she lowered her voice. "Not many elves in the Mana line. Unless the elf you're related to was out of the line? My mom was the elf and she's nowhere near the mana line..."

"My dad was the elf. That's why they were killed. I just recently met my grandfather, he's a hermit now... He doesn't know I'm half elf." she said, smiling lightly.

"Ah." Earnia nodded. "That explains it then. You're not half or more in the line. You'll probably not be the next Chosen then." she grinned, laughing.

"That's just as well; I don't really want to be..." Sendra said, smiling weakly.

Earnia nodded. "I can understand that. Sounds kinda cool to me actually. All that fame." she smiled. "Though I guess there's probably more to it then parading around, knowing that you're the one who gets to save the world someday if it magically decides to... need... saving."

Sendra laughed a little, "It does sound exciting, but not for me."

Earnia smiled, kicking her feet lightly in the air in front of her. "Oh well. We'll know who gets picked soon enough. I heard angels come down and give something to the Chosen!" she said, smiling wider and looking excited. "Wouldn't that be cool? Though I guess we wouldn't get to see them..."

Sendra smiled, happy she was good with secrecy. "Angels... I wonder what they look like." she mused, looking at the sky. "It is very exciting, though. I wonder when we'll find out who the Chosen is?"

"I dunno..." she said, thinking. "Probably not until the current one is like, stripped of her powers or something..." she 'hmm'ed softly, staring blankly at a patch of grass in front of her porch.

"Mm... Who's the current one?" she asked. Yay for sounding clueless when she knew everything!

Earnia closed her eyes in thought for a moment. "...I don't remember the name..." she said slowly, opening her eyes again. "Some great great half-aunt of mine or something stupid like that. Lives in Ozette and is a total nutjob apparently."

"That's probably one reason why we need a new one." she laughed lightly.

Earnia nodded, smiling. "Chosens are next to Royalty, but she's not been quite right from the start, or so I've heard. Refused to live in Meltokio like the other Chosens have." she shrugged. "Oh well."

"Probably the responsibility made it worse." Sendra said. "It'd do that to anyone."

"Could be." Earnia said, nodding. She stared out across the grass again for a few more moments before snapping to attention again. "You hungry? Brunt has eaten but neither of us have. D"

"You have a point. I could stand some food. D" She said, beaming.

Earnia grinned and stood up. "C'mon then. I'll make some Miso soup." she said, walking back into her cottage and into the kitchen.

Sendra followed along. "Anything I can help with?" she asked.

"Nah, I got it. You should go explore. :o Make yerself at home!" she said, grabbing pots and several ingredients from her cupboards.

Sendra smiled, ducking out of the kitchen and looking around the house. A simple, two-story cottage that was a mirror-image of itself; two halves identical from one another, separated by the entrance hallway and staircase. A kitchen and living room on the bottom floor, bedroom on top.

Each bedroom had an enormous bay window overlooking the ocean, and though only Earnia's half of the building had any furniture at all in it, both sides had a kind of charm that was indescribable. Sendra smiled around the place, looking into the rooms. She peeked into the bedroom that wasn't Earnia's, and gazed out the window, immediately drawn to it for its view.

The setting sun cast a golden glow into the room, the sunrays bouncing off the ocean's surface and dazzling the eyes. That being the perfect cover for it, the sparkles of light behind Sendra were difficult if not impossible to notice. Gradually, they formed into a white-winged male angel, wearing Green robes with delicate, golden embroidery on them. He had jaw-length blond hair, and a strange green-and-gold hat. The angel held his arms folded in front of him, looking cross. "Lady... Sendra, is it?" he addressed her, hovering several inches from the floor some six feet behind her.

Sendra turned, not having expected to hear an unfamiliar male voice behind her. She blinked at the new angel, then nodded. "Ah, yes. I'd assume you're from Cruxis, yeh?" she said, smiling lightly and quite curious what he wanted.

The angel grunted in acknowledgement, landing and glaring at her. "I am Remiel. I was sent here to give you a message from lord Kratos."

"Oh really. And wha's Kratos got to say?" she asked, crossing her arms and looking at him with a smugish look. This Remiel guy looked fun to tease.

Remiel looked annoyed at her attitude. "He says that the current Chosen is being removed from duty this evening. It may take longer then expected because she needs to be removed from the city in case her crystal should turn her into a monster, and she... doesn't like leaving her home." Remiel growled vaguely, narrowing his eyes. "You're to tell the new chosen of her new fate tomorrow when she is called to Meltokio."

Her eyes lit up. "Ooh goodie!" she said, making sure to sound as annoying as she could. "You tell dear Kratos that I'll take care of it. Thanks, Remedy. :o" she said, practically skipping across the room.

Remiel stared blankly at the place she had been for a moment before grumbling and vanishing; off to tell Kratos he had delivered the message and the task now rested in... capable?... hands...

She giggled lightly and leaped the last ten stairs out of because-she-could. "How's the soup coming, Earnia?" she called through the open kitchen door.

"Almost ready!" Earnia said, beaming and stirring a steaming pot over a makeshift stove. She was singing softly in some other language as a fire burned underneath the pot, oddly making neither smoke nor needing wood to burn.

She watched, looking curiously at the flames. "Spellsinging... A beautiful way of using magic." she said quietly.

The singer smiled. "Thank you." she said, the flames dying very slightly. She let them die out as she walked to a cabinet and pulled out a couple bowls, before ladling soup into them both and setting them on the table.

"Your home is also very beautiful... I love those windows. The view is amazing." Sendra said, heading for the table.

"I know! I got really lucky with this cottage." Earnia said, sitting down and grabbing a spoon. "It's so pretty out there at night when it's clear, too..."

Sendra sat and ate her soup slowly. She thought to herself about how to tell Earnia what was going to happen...

Earnia finished her soup and hummed softly, staring out the small window at one of the other cottages, its lights lit up and curtains drawn. "I'll have to talk to the Dean tomorrow about you living here, see if we've got furniture and stuff for ya. Until then, you can crash on my couch, I guess." she said, grinning sheepishly at her. "I'm not used to having company."

"I'm not entirely used to being company, but it is good to be in an actual house for the first time in a while. Thank you again for taking me in." she smiled.

Earnia smiled vaguely, her eyes slightly out of focus. "We've... gotta stick together, right?" she whispered. "I'd have taken you in anyway, but..."

Sendra nodded, smiling warmly. "Indeed. I am quite glad I'd found you, before someone else found me."

"I'm scared to death of what'll happen if anyone but another kinsmen finds out..." Earnia said, shuddering slightly. "I've visited those that are trapped in the labs under the academy before. It's horrible..."

"Really? What's it like?" she asked curiously. She hadn't encountered a WHOLE lot of half-elf oppression in her life, mostly because she lived in horribly small towns all her life anyway.

Earnia sighed. "Dank, and dark. They're not let outside, at ALL. Forced to keep working 'till they collapse of exhaustion, THEN they're let to rest for a few hours. They're doing work on some... crystal... thing..." she shook her head. "They won't tell me much. Just that it's like a better version of an Exsphere." She blinked, looking at Sendra's neck. "...Kinda like yours, actually..."

She looked down at her neck; smiling lightly "Heh." she had nothing to say to that, figuring it wasn't exactly normal to have one.

Earnia stared at it, eyes narrowed in thought. "Come to think of it, where'd you get that...?" she asked, sounding curious. "People don't usually equip those..."

Sendra smiled warmly at Earnia. "Ah... It's a long story. I'll tell you tomorrow." she looked down at the empty soup bowl. "I think I'd rather get some sleep now..." she said, doing a rather well-done fake yawn, since she really didn't need the sleep anyway.

Earnia grinned. "Okay then. You know where to living room is? D" she asked, jerking her head backwards towards the large door in the middle of the wall that led to the living room. She took the bowls and stood up, taking them over to the tub that served as sink. "I'll get those tomorrow..."

Sendra strolled into the living room and looked about, at the richly-colored room with a sofa in the center of it, pictures here and there on the walls. A fireplace, two armchairs, and a sliding door that led outside, toward the cliffs on the ocean. This really was a rather nice place.

"'Night!" Earnia called from the hall, heading upstairs to her bedroom. Maybe a bit of reading before sleep...

Sendra nodded. "G'night!" she said, looking out the window in the living room and pausing for a moment. Well, she wasn't actually going to sleep, so what could she do...?


	15. The Old Chosen, Replaced with the New

'...Go lend Kratos a hand with the Chosen. :o' Said some random fly on the wall.

She stared at the fly. "...Umm. Okay...wait how the hell do you...nevermind." She said, smiling lightly as she faded away and appeared in some vacant area outside of Ozette.

An extremely fretful-looking, skinny woman sat huddled in the middle of the clearing, looking around her in panic, her long and unkempt brown hair flopping about on the ground. "Those oddly-dressed men bringing me out here and forcing me away from my nice clean home and telling me my job is going to be passed to someone else... it's a plot everything's against me Goddess Martel please save me..." she babbled, eyes wide and fearful. Oddly, in all her frantic searching, she did not see Sendra at all.

Sendra blinked. "Well, that's the chosen then." she said, looking about for anyone else.

Kratos appeared beside her, his outfit totally changed from the one he had been in last. In white now in an outfit not unlike Yggdrasill's with the exception of way-too-many-belts, along with his long, sparkling blue wings trailing behind him. His sword was drawn as he gazed at the fretful Chosen. "I'd get out of the way if I were you, Sendra." he said cooly, stepping toward the Chosen, who oddly still didn't see either of them. "Knowing how unstable she is, I doubt her key crest will be able to control the crystal."

"Mm. Fun." Sendra said, not moving but making her wings appear and flap idly behind her.

Kratos approached the woman, who finally spotted him and screamed. "OO OH GODDESS MARTEL, SAVE ME FROM THIS FAAATE." she cried, before Kratos sighed heavily and klonked her on the head with the hilt of his sword. She fell sideways, knocked out cold.

Sendra giggled loudly. "Aww. Poor old bat." she said, though by her tone of voice she clearly didn't mean it. "Anything I can do?"

"Stay out of the way." he said pointedly, rolling the woman onto her back and placing his hand over her Cruxis Crystal. It glowed brightly for a moment, but then began to pulse with light. A spark caused Kratos to withdraw his hand and move back several paces, glaring as the woman glowed more brightly and all over, her shape changing. "Damn! I thought this would happen." Kratos said, holding his sword more firmly as the woman changed to monster.

Sendra put a hand behind her on her spear handle, drawing it slowly and watching the woman. It was interesting, even if she had no idea what was going to happen.

The gigantic creature got to its feet, its now green skin pulsing slowly with the light from before. Arms as long as the body itself with spikes at the elbows reached out and swiped the air where Kratos stood, who jumped out of the way just in time, the claws of the creature scraping the earth instead. It gave out a muffled cry owing to its lack of mouth and turned toward Sendra, its short legs carrying it slowly, its great body towering above hers. It reached an arm up and swiped toward Sendra, enough force to uproot the largest of trees behind the swing.

Sendra shot upwards quickly and floated out of the monsters reach, her spear in her hands as she watched it lumber about.

'H-help... meee...' a strangled voice said, not verbal but an astrophysical voice from the monster. What was left of the woman from before. Kratos ran toward the monster but was forced to veer off-course again from another swing of the massive arms it possessed.

"OI. I'M NOT COMPLETELY USELESS UP HERE." she called at Kratos. "Want some help?"

"Distract her!" he called, ducking under another bullish swing from the monster. "At least so I can use a spell!"

She swooped down at the monster, pulled the head off of her spear, and gave it a good hard thwack on its back, swooping away again back where she was.

The monster turned and swiped in the air toward her, not quite able to reach. Kratos hopped back a bit and closed his eyes, glowing with magical energy.

Sendra flew around the monster, coming within reach a few times but dodging its arms, effectively keeping its attention on her rather then Kratos, who was muttering quietly, indeed too quietly to hear as the monster swiped at Sendra, seeming intent on catching and killing the annoying flappy thing.

Sendra kept it up, flying low and around the monsters head; this is when speed is very, very helpful. Finally, Kratos's spell took effect.  
"Judgment!" he cried, eyes snapping open and locking onto the monster. Bright, blinding rays of light fell from the sky and hit the creature, who cried out in muffled pain and alarm, staggering sideways and nearly falling into a tree.

Sendra hovered above it again, watching with a calm face as the creature wobbled for a moment before crashing to its knees. Kratos, drawing his sword again, ran toward it as it fell forward into its front, groaning. Looking as if he'd rather not have to do it, he plunged his sword into the creature's neck.

Sendra still looked calm, slowly floating closer to said monster. It stopped twitching after a moment, and moved no more. Kratos withdrew his sword and flicked it, the blood from it splashing onto the grass at his side.

"Well. That was fun." Sendra said, floating a few feet above the monsters back.

Kratos grunted, turning his back on the former-Chosen as the monster dissolved into nothing, sparkles of something flowing from the body until nothing but a small, glowing ball remained. The crystal that caused the whole fiasco.

"Did Remiel tell yeh I got your message?" she asked, her feet touching the ground where the thing had been moments ago.

Kratos picked up the crystal and stared at it, eyes blank. "He said you got it, and also chose to express his disgust at your attitude and mistrust of your capabilities."

"Mmhmm. Right, well, if you should see him again, you can have the amusement of tell him I said 'Stuff it, paper wings'. From looking at his attitude, it should provide a laugh or two from his reaction." She said, smiling brightly.

He looked at her, an eyebrow raised. "...I think I'll leave that remark to you." he said after a moment, re-sheathing his sword. "It was your idea after all."

"Aww. You need a laugh, Kratos." she said, looking at him with the expression of "Or what, are you scared to?"

He 'hmm'ed, looking away and back toward the trees. "You should go back to Sybak. I have preparations to make back on Derris-Kharlan, and it wouldn't be best if your new hostess got up in the middle of the night and you weren't there."

"Mm, she asked about my Cruxis Crystal, but I just told her I'll tell her about it tomorrow. Which I will. :D" she said. "See you, Kratos. Have fun with whatever it is you're doing." she said as she faded away, appearing inside the empty bedroom in Earnia's home.

Sendra went downstairs quietly and milled about the house, staying in the living room when the sun started to rise. She waited until she heard something upstairs to lay on the couch and pretend to sleep.

Earnia came downstairs ten minutes later, yawning and rubbing her eyes, but fully dressed and such. Her hair was in a long braid down her back today, tied off just above where the blue began with a bright purple ribbon, and she had traded the skirt for a pair of black pants. She peeked in the living room and, seeing that Sendra was asleep, smiled and began making some eggs for breakfast.

Sendra just laid still and kept up the fake-sleep act for a while, still mulling over how she'd explain things to the other half-elf.

Earnia finished the eggs and tiptoed into the room, leaning over the back of the couch. "Sendraaa" she cooed softly, smiling. "Wakey-wakey"

Sendra groaned, oh how being a good actor came in handy. She wondered why Yggdrasill hadn't thought to hire more people like her as she sat up and stretched. Then she remembered how much of a good actor he himself was.

Earnia giggled. "I made some eggs and rice for breakfast, c'mon." She said, leading the way back into the kitchen.

Sendra stood and stretched again for a moment and followed, sitting at the table as before and faking another yawn as she glanced at her unneeded breakfast.

Earnia sat down and snarfed her eggs, it was clear the girl had a big appetite. Between bites, she sorted her schoolbag out, several books and many folders with papers in them each getting examined and set back in carefully.

Sendra ate quietly, watching Earnia. She couldn't help but smile lightly.

Once she was done, she turned to face Sendra, smiling. "You can either tag along with me in the Academy today or hang around here, I don't mind which." She paused. "Well I suppose you could do other things too but those are the only two that concern me. x)"

Sendra laughed. "I think I'll explore the city a little." She said, straightening her clothes.

Earnia nodded, smiling. "Okay! There's ... really not a lot to see in the market but the library and school itself are huge." she said, standing. "We'd best get going, I don't want to be late."

Sendra nodded. "Want a ride?" she asked, finishing up her food.

"Sure!" She said, grinning. "I'm actually wearing proper clothes for it this time." she said, giggling.

Sendra laughed and stood, lowering and stretching her legs out by going into the splits.

"Wow," Earnia stared at Sendra. "No matter what I was wearing I wouldn't be able to do that!" she laughed. "Cool!"

Sendra laughed, standing again. "Riding a horse, after a while, you learn how to stretch your legs out in the morning so they're not sore from riding."

Earnia smiled. "Maybe I'll get used to that one day..." she said, slinging her bag of books over her shoulder with ease despite the number of books. She walked into the hallway, unlocking the many locks on the door.

Sendra noted the amount of locks, but then shrugged it off and stepped outside once the door was opened. She picked up Brunt's saddle and fastened it around his stomach.

Earnia hummed as Sendra placed the saddle, several pebbles on the ground at her feet dancing feebly along with her humming. She noticed and quickly stopped, giggling.

Sendra leaped up in the saddle and scooted up. "M'kay, we're ready."

Earnia climbed on after Sendra, holding onto Sendra's middle. "Ready, cap'n!" she said, beaming. "Off to Sybak!"

Sendra nodded. "HIYA." she yelled, and Brunt turned around and bolted off towards the entrance of the city.

Earnia 'eep'ed slightly but hung on fine, blinking. As the gates approached, she narrowed her eyes, 'hmm'ing softly. "Papal knights..." she muttered, nodding toward the green-and-cream armored men flanking the gates of the city.

"And they are?" she asked, Brunt didn't even slow down.

"The Pope's men." she said. "But I dunno why they'd be in Sybak..."

"Ah." She smiled lightly. She knew why, and was rather happy that Earnia didn't see the smile. Brunt sped past the Papal knights and into the city, slowing SLIGHTLY so he wouldn't run into people.

The knights looked at each other in alarm and ran in after them, their armor clinking and their large axes raised. "Halt!" one cried over the cilppity-clop that was Brunt's hooves on the stones. People all around were stopping to stare as Earnia glanced over her shoulder. "Uuh. They want us to stop. oO"

Sendra pulled back lightly on Brunt's reins and he stopped, turning on a dime and trotting back to the knights. She looked down at them. "Eh?"

The knights stood on either side of Brunt, and the one who had called for them to stop addressed Earnia. "Earnia Willough?" he asked in a commanding voice. She blinked timidly and nodded. "The Pope requests your presence in Meltokio. You are to leave at once." Said the knight, voice sounding in the same, commanding tone.

Sendra looked quizzical, looking back at Earnia with a "o.O?" look on her face.

Earnia shrugged. "Um... okay. What about my class?" "Your students have been given the day off. Please proceed to Meltokio." the other Knight said without missing a beat. Earnia shrugged. "And I'll just assume I'm excused from the classes I'm not teaching. To Meltokio!"

Sendra nodded, "...And which way is that? D"

"South, across the gigantic bridge." Earnia said. "...I thought you said you came from Meltokio?"

"Call me directionally challenged." she said, Brunt taking off in the southward direction.

Earnia smiled, watching the countryside go by as the large bridge neared. "Wonder what he wants with me..." she muttered. "Can't have been 'cuz he found out I'm ... what I am. He wouldn't want a filthy half-breed in his presence."

"Well, we'll find out when we get there." she said, Brunt sped up and galloped across the bridge.

"Yeah..." she said, unsure of herself. "Haven't been to Meltokio in a while. After he's done with me, maybe we can go exploring. Bother some aristocrats, they have more money then brains, they should be easy to bother..."

"Ooh, bothering people is always fun." she said, Brunt leaped a few times, even if there was nothing to leap over. Horse and rider were meant for each other, a love for speed and showing off.

Earnia giggled. "My Brunt, what a fine horse you are!" she said, grinning widely. "I bet you've got all the mares all up ons. o:"

Sendra laughed. "The mares we've come in contact with...put simply, yes. Yes they were." Sendra said, patting Brunt's shoulder as he lifted his head in pride.

Earnia giggled more, looking up at the bridge. "Oh look, stairs! Can we jump up them?" She asked, grinning. "This is fun!"

Sendra grinned as well, Brunt lifted up his front hooves and sailed over the stairs, landing and still going as fast as he had been.

Earnia cheered, laughing. "This is really cool! I want a horse now." she said, beaming. "Though then I'd need to learn to ride and everything..."

Sendra laughed "I'd be happy to teach yah, and I'm sure Brunt would help!", Brunt gave a short brae in agreement.

Earnia beamed. "Cool!" she said, laughing. She looked sideways at the water, the calm but gigantic ocean the bridge was built over. "Wow..."

Brunt galloped a bit closer to the side so she could get a better look; Sendra looked ahead of her for the end of the bridge. ...Which was a loong way off. Near the side of the bridge, a blue cat-creature like the one in Sybak stood, talking to a group of children from Meltokio. It looked up and waved as they passed by, letting out a loud "Meow!" as it did so.

Sendra waved with a free hand, Brunt was clearly enjoying the attention.

Earnia waved as well, giggling. She looked around Sendra toward the other end of the bridge, still a way off but getting closer every second due to the speed they were going at. "I forgot how long this bridge is, too..."

"Seems shorter with Brunt, though, dunnit?" she said, patting Brunt again as he braed.

"Yeah, it does." Earnia said, nodding. "Four legs are better then two!"

"Especially if they're speedy ones." she said. Brunt weaved around a little, showing off still.

Earnia stared toward the approaching end of the bridge, a thoughtful look on her face. "Almost there." she said, and indeed, the highest turrets of Meltokio castle were just visible in the distance now.

Brunt slowed a bit as they neared the end of the bridge, going at a simple trot as they neared Meltokio. Busier city, more people to run over, less speed. Wah. D:

The guards at the city gates glared through their visors as they approached, but let them pass. Earnia was unsurprised to see Papal knights waiting for them just inside the gates. "Miss Willough!" one of them called as they passed. "We shall escort you to the church."

Sendra directed Brunt towards the knight. "You lead and he'll follow." she said. Brunt shook his mane and watched the Knight.

The Knight gazed for a moment before shrugging and walking toward the gigantic church up several flights of stairs. He kept stealing glances at Sendra, as if trying to figure out who she was, or else... if she was who he thought she was.

Sendra watched the Knight, seeing when he glanced at her, she smiled slyly as Brunt followed along.

They reached the Church quick enough, and the knight stopped. "I'm afraid your horse will have to stay out here, miss." He told Sendra. "You both can go in, straight through and take the first door on the left."

Sendra climbed off of Brunt, not even bothering to tie him off somewhere. He knew to stay put and if someone tried to run off with him, buck 'em off and show no mercy. :D

Earnia followed and stepped inside nervously, walking down the horribly long side of the main, empty room, toward several doors hidden in the shadows. "Eeeenh..."

Sendra patted Earnia's shoulder, smiling. "I'm sure everything will be okay." she said comfortingly.

She nodded, taking a deep breath and opening the door that had been indicated. She stepped into a sitting room with nothing but red furniture and looked around. "...Nobody's here."

Sendra smiled lightly. "I know..." she stepped in as well and shut the door.

Earnia looked around, an eyebrow raised. "Huh?"

"No one is supposed to be." she smiled warmly. "Remember last night when we talked about Chosens?"

"...Yeah..." she said slowly. She sat on a red chair, looking puzzled.

Sendra stood in front of her. "Well... Remember when you said how exciting it'd be to be a Chosen?" she said, smiling still.

"...Yeah..." she said even slower. Wtf was going on?

"And how Angels come to tell the new Chosen that that's...what they are?" that smile progressed into a grin.

Earnia merely stared blankly. "...wut."

Sendra paused for a moment, her wings fading into sight. "Earnia...you're the new Chosen. 'Swhy I'm here."

Her jaw dropped. "Bu... ahh... um... ...That explains that crystal." she said, blinking several times. "Am I gonna get one of those?"

She nodded. "You'll get wings, too." she said, still grinning.

"That's not entirely true," said a child's voice from behind Sendra. Earnia jumped and looked around; the child Mithos stood just behind Sendra.

"You may get wings as part of the journey of Regeneration." he said, stepping forward. He grinned up at Sendra. "Sorry to bust in on your moment, but Earnia's Crystal needed to be given and I couldn't find Remiel." Earnia just stared, mouth hanging slightly open.

"Ah well, I was close anyway. .; Blame it on being new." she said, stepping back.

He smiled, raising a hand with a violet glowing crystal inside a pawprint-like key crest. Earnia took it from him and instinctively placed it on her chest, with a slight glow it blended with her skin seamlessly. She blinked again and looked up at Sendra. "...This is some REALLY FREAKING WEIRD dream!"

Sendra smiled in a slightly mischievous way. "It's not, I assure you. All weird dreams include bunnies in tophats somehow."

Mithos snorted, before waving and vanishing on the spot. Earnia blinked. "...And who was HE?"

Sendra laughed. "Another angel. One of the higher ones actually." she said, sitting in a chair next to Earnia. "Anyway... So... The Chosen is equipped to save the world if it were in danger, yeh?"

Earnia's eyes were bright and wide, though out of shock more then anything. "The Chosen... yes. Yes but... I'm not sure... what that really means..." she stared at Sendra. "Were you a Chosen? How do you become an angel anyway?"

Sendra smiled calmly. "Ah...No, I wasn't a Chosen. A few half-elves who wish to, and have the opportunity to, may become angels. But to my knowledge, the opportunity is rare. I was...lucky." she explained carefully. "Anyway. The world right now is safe; you don't have to worry about much. If it were in danger, you would be notified. And someone would tell you what to do. So you can cross that bridge when you come to it, I wouldn't worry too much right now."

The new Chosen nodded, her eyes still showing shock but a bit of excitement now, as well. "I'm the Chosen..." she said slowly and quietly. "I don't believe this. ME. The... CHOSEN." she laughed a little.

Sendra laughed a little. "It's interesting, isn't it?" she reached up lightly and ran a hand over the small key crest she had.

She stared at the floor, her hand still over her own crystal. "Explains why you were in Sybak..." she said. "How are Chosens... well, chosen, anyway?"

"Someone from the Mana family line. Not incredibly sure of anything further than that. Just someone who we think is most capable for what might happen to the world." She said. Well, that wasn't untrue. Wasn't the whole truth either, but we won't get into that.

Earnia nodded. "I get to save the world should it need it, huh..." she said. "You sure I can't have just a liiittle hint as to what that might entail?" she asked, grinning. "Even just what I'd need to save the world from?"

Sendra laughed a little. "Depends on what would happen to the world. Like I said, I wouldn't worry about that part unless it happens. You're practically royalty now." she said, smiling mischievously.

Earnia sighed, but smiled. "Yeah... Guess I'll have to move here then..." her smile faded. "But all my classes, and friends at Sybak..."

"You can probably get a private teacher if you want... And visiting your friends isn't completely out of the question."

"But I taught a class too. I'm the only spellsinger there, what are the ones trying to learn it going to do?" She said, sounding more annoyed then saddened.

"Meet them halfway. If they really want to learn Spellsinging, you can meet on the Bridge. You have to admit, the view from the bridge might inspire them."

"I guess..." she said, nodding. "Yeah, that'd work."

"Hmm..." Sendra paused, thinking for a while. It'd probably be okay, I mean, it's not like she doesn't already know, what harm would it do...?Earnia was silent, thinking about things. "Guess you won't need to stay with me after all. x)" she said, giggling. "Where do the angels... live?"

"We don't need sleep, or food really. So we just mill about being bored, or on a job." she laughed lightly "I've only been an angel for about a week. The boredom hasn't set in yet."

"Oh! Wow." she beamed. "Are there a lot of angels?"

"I'm not actually all that sure. Enough to populate a city, I know that much. Being new sucks. D:" she said, making a mock-sad face.

Earnia giggled. "Kinda cool to think about..." she said, smiling. "A city of angels."

Sendra smiled. "Best thing is the flying, in my opinion. We can teleport too, as that other angel demonstrated, but I was built for manual travel. Horribly fast manual travel, but teleporting was hard for me to learn." she said, her wings fluttering lightly.

"That other angel said I couldn't get wings unless I went to save the world." she said, sighing. "Too bad. Guess I'm only like... a pretend angel?"

Sendra grinned widely. "Wanna see what flying is like?" she asked.

Earnia perked up. "Yeah! Flying sounds cool!"

"Okay... We'll have to be out of the city though. When we're back on the bridge and no one's around, I'll take you flying. Brunt can make his own way back, he's a smart horse." she smiled as she stood, her wings fading away. "Angels are rarely seen, I want to be careful. . ..."

"I've never seen one before." Earnia said, amazed. She stood as well. "I wonder how everyone else will be finding out about me..."

"Probably some announcement of some sort. Or the key crest...speaking of which..." she looked around the room; one of the lamps had a gold pull-chain on it. She went over to it and tinkered with it for a moment, eventually pulling the chain off, and putting it around her neck. She attached the ends of the chain to her chest simply. "I'ma hope that it throws people off. I don't want too many questions."

"Good idea." Earnia said, nodding. She put a hand on her crystal again. "I've not really got a reason to hide mine, huh?"

"I'm sure some Chosens preferred to broadcast it to the world. So yeah, you're fine. X3" she said, "Shall we go, then?"

Earnia smiled and trotted toward the door. "Out to the world, then!"

Sendra followed along. "Indeed! MAKE WAY FOR THE NEW CHOSEN. :O" she didn't say it loudly, but she fake-announced it.

Earnia trotted down the room and opened the door, before paling and shutting it again, though not before the babble of many, many voices could be heard. She leaned with her back against the door, a "oo" look on her face.

"Holy...a crowd already?" she guessed, looking at Earnia's paled face.

Earnia nodded., still pale "Wonder if there's a back way out..."

"...Better idea." Sendra said, smiling. She waved Earnia away from the door and opened it a crack, whistling. Not many could hear it over the crowds babble, but soon enough, a sand colored horse was pushing his way through the crowd, snorting until people got out of his way.

Earnia giggled. "You've got a very, very smart horse."

"Yep..." she watched through the crack as Brunt finally walked up the steps, by now the crowd had their eyes fixed on this quite peculiar sight.

Brunt waited at the door. "Now, we have two choices. One is daring, one is just plain dangerous. We COULD tell Brunt to meet us behind the church and I could teleport us there. Keep in mind I have not teleported two people before. Or we could just ride him out. My vote goes for riding him since my teleportation skills are...sub-par to say the best. - "

Earnia considered their options. "Plus, if he can get to the back of the church, people may follow him. Let's ride. .." she said, gripping her bag a little firmer. "I suppose I'll have to get used to that, huh?"

"...Yep. x3;;" she said, opening the door and stepping out. The babble of the crowd increased in volume. Brunt looked READY to get out of there as Sendra climbed into the saddle. She gripped the reins and made sure he waited for Earnia to get on. Someone doesn't like crowds. :

Earnia hopped on behind Sendra and the crowd babbled louder as knights tried and failed to keep them back. A small boy managed to get through and tug on Earnia's pant leg before Brunt could get out, and she looked down. The boy grinned up at her. "Protect us, Chosen one!" he said, smiling wider. "We're all relying on you!"

Sendra smiled, waiting for the boy to move away "Ready, Earnia?" she turned, looking back at her.

Earnia smiled vaguely at the boy before gripping Sendra around the middle again. "Let's go."

Sendra turned towards the crowd, narrowed her eyes, and opened her mouth and yelled loudly, SOMEHOW getting louder than the crowds babble. "EVERYBODY MOVE. YOU DON'T, YOU GET RUN OVER." she boomed. Brunt stamped a hoof to emphasize the point. "THE CHOSEN WANTS THROUGH."

Earnia giggled uncontrollably into Sendra's shoulderblades as the excited crowd moved to clear a path for the horse, all cheering.

Sendra nodded. "THANK YOU." she called as Brunt galloped, if a little slower than usual. He didn't really like running people over, so he gave them a warning he was coming by clopping loudly. However, once he was out of the crowd, he was off!


	16. Angels, Huh?

Earnia cackled as the wind whipped her hair back and they took off out the gates, back toward the bridge and Sybak. "What fun. x)"

"Hey, at least they did it. I was half expecting them to just stare dumbly at us." she said, Brunt was cleeearly happy to be out of the crowd.

Earnia grinned. "Yeah, that could have happened too. But why would they have disrespected the wishes of the Chosen? o:"

"Good point. Partly why I added that in. I wonder how they knew, though. o.O" she said, as the transition was made from grass to stone as they reached the bridge.

Earnia shrugged. "Maybe the king was told and told everyone?" she suggested. "Though who would have told him, then..."

"Shows how word gets around in a big city. . " Sendra said, pulling Brunt's reins and telling him to slow down, which he did, stopping. Sendra looked around, no one in sight. WOOT.

Earnia looked for a moment like she didn't know why they were stopping, but then remembered. "Wonder how long word will take to spread across the whole world..."

"By then, we'll be too high for them to tell. :D" she said, climbing off of Brunt's back and patting his nose, mumbling to him, hardly distinguishable, though you could tell she was telling him he was to go on alone.

Earnia slid off too. "This is gonna be fun!" She said, clearly excited. "How's it gonna work?"

"What would be easiest, is if I carried you around the middle. You'd be surprised how much these wings can carry despite the delicate look." she said, as her wings appeared.

"Okay." she said, beaming. "Sure your arms can hold me..?"

"'Course." She said, shaking her bangs away "Turn'round."

Earnia did so, beaming and nearly bouncing on her feet. Sendra held her around the middle, and beat her wings, soon enough they were rising. Brunt strolled off below them as they rose.

Earnia giggled, kicking her feet lightly below her. "Thisiscocool"

Sendra gained speed lightly, moving off to the side so they were above the water, rather than the bridge, gaining speed and going more forward than up.

Earnia gazed at their reflection in the water below, smiling broadly. "Wow... I wanna be able to flyyyyy." she said, attempting to mock-whine but ruining the effect by giggling halfway through.

"It's more fun when the wings powering you are your own." she said, watching in front of her with a calm look. That one serene look you get when it feels like nothing can go wrong.

"That makes sense." Earnia said, grinning out over the water. "This is even faster then traveling with Brunt!" she pointed toward Sybak, which was looming close rather quickly.

Sendra laughed, lowering while they were still over the water, almost getting Earnia's feet wet but not. "This is the best part." She said as she turned to go along the coast rather than over the land.

Earnia giggled. "Cooool..." she said, watching the sand below rush by.

Sendra grinned. "We should probably find Brunt, he'll be near the end of the bridge by now." she said, turning around and getting them close enough to the bridge without anyone seeing them before slowing and touching the ground.

Earnia took a moment to adjust to being on the ground again, before falling over and bursting out laughing. She sat up, grinning. "That was so cool. Thanks for taking me flying!"

Sendra laughed. "Makes you wish the world would suddenly need saving, eh?" she said, shaking her hair away again and making her wings fade.

"Kind of, yeah." she said, giggling. "Though that's selfish of me. If the world needed saving and I couldn't do it for some reason, everyone here would suffer. That's not worth it."

"Mm, true. But it'd still be cool. x3" Sendra said.

Earnia smiled and got to her feet, looking around for Brunt. "Now... how am I gonna get everything to Meltokio ... Come to think of it, where am I going to _live_ in Meltokio..."

Brunt had seen them from the bridge and was heading their way at a trot. Sendra shrugged a little. "I'd assume there are places to rent carts, we can hook up one to Brunt. He'll have to behave himself, but he can pull a cart."

Earnia nodded. "Thanks again for helping me so much. Then again, you're the reason I have to move anyway. XP"

"Technically I'm just the messenger, but I offered to be said messenger so it works both ways. xP" she said as Brunt trotted a circle around them and nudged her right in the back. She snorted. "Yes, hi honey. I love you too. x33"

Earnia giggled. "Hey Brunt, feel like helping me move all my stuff? I don't own much." she said, grinning at the horse.

Brunt looked over at her and nodded his head, braeing lightly. "I'd take that as a yes." Sendra laughed, petting Brunt's nose. You could just SEE the "n.n" on his face.

"Yay!" Earnia said, beaming. "Let's head to my cottage then. I never totally unpacked everything so all the boxes and things are still half-full in the hall closet."

"How about we drop you off at your home, and we head back to Sybak and see about renting a cart?" Sendra suggested, climbing onto Brunt's saddle.

"Works for me!" She said, climbing on too. "Onward"

Brunt galloped off to Sybak, more of a show gallop than a speed run. Earnia waited until they had stopped in front of her cabin before sliding off, slightly surprised to see it totally unguarded. "See you later then." she said, smiling and two-finger-saluting in farewell.

Sendra nodded, and she and Brunt galloped off toward Sybak's entrance in search of anywhere to rent a cart.

Several hours later, Earnia leaned against the door of her now-nearly-empty-of-her-belongings cottage, sighing heavily. It was only nearly empty because she had left the large furniture inside. A couple dozen boxes of varying sizes lay on her porch, waiting to be loaded into a cart and taken off to Meltokio. Though still not entirely sure where she was going to live, she had a sneaking suspicion that that had already been decided for her by the higher-ups of the city.

The sounds of hoofbeats and wheels clanging on ground were heard, as Sendra returned with a large cart, attached to Brunt's saddle, in tow. Sendra herself was lying down with her arm over her eyes in the seat of the cart.

Earnia straightened up and grinned at the horse-drawn cart, waving an arm in welcome, not able to see that Sendra had her eyes hidden.

Brunt whinnied in reply, and Sendra raised her arm a bit, peeking to see where they were. She grinned, seeing Earnia in the not-so-far distance, and waved back, sitting up in the cart.

Earnia leaned over and picked up her schoolbag, slinging it over her shoulder as she ran out to meet Sendra and Brunt. Grinning, she called out to them, "You're sooner then I thought you'd be! No trouble in town then?"

"The words It's for the Chosen's benefit' help quite a bit. Didn't even have to pay, and the cart's yours until you feel like bringing it back." Sendra laughed a little, hopping down. Brunt kept going and pulled the cart up to Earnia's home.

Earnia giggled. "Well that's nice of them." she said, flinging her bag into the cart and picking up a box. "Wow, me... the Chosen..." she murmured. "I keep expecting to wake up and realize I'm an hour late for my own class..."

Sendra smiled. "I know the feeling." she said, picking up a different box and setting it in the cart.

"Really?" Earnia asked, setting her box in the cart and pushing it to the back. "It's an odd feeling, isn't it?" she grinned again. "I hope it'll pass eventually."

"Hopefully." she said, getting a few more boxes "Wherever you're living will probably have its own furniture, but do you want to get some of yours in here too anyway?"

"There's really only the bed and the couch, and they're nothing special. I got them as an inheritance from some obscure old relative of mine whom I only met once, so it's not like I'm losing any funds." she grinned in a sheepish way, hoisting three boxes at once into her arms and heaving them into the cart with a little bit of effort.

Sendra nodded, hopping into the cart and organizing the boxes so they wouldn't fall off en route.

"I've been meaning to ask you..." Earnia said at length, lifting the last couple boxes into the cart. "Who was that boy who appeared back in Meltokio and gave me my crystal?"

Sendra paused for a bit, pushing the rest of the boxes into the cart. "He's one of the higher-up Angels. He's the one who gave me my own crystal." she said, not saying any more unless Earnia asked.

Earnia clambered onto the cart as well, a pondering look on her face. "He looked awfully young to be an angel of such high status." she commented, twiddling a pebble she had picked up between her fingers.

Sendra hopped off the back of the cart and patted Brunt, who started walking. She hopped into the cart as it was moving, and sat beside Earnia. "Angels are ageless, he looked young, but he's actually...not. I don't remember how old he actually is. :/"

Her eyes widened. "So Angels don't age at all? That's amazing." she sat back, staring at the sky with an awed look on her face. "I was taught to read Angelic Script when I was young... as one of the Mana lineage I have to be able to understand it, and I've read lots about angels, but that's something I didn't know..."

Sendra shrugged. "Angels are curious things. Before I became one, I didn't even know they existed. So you're already doing better than I am."

Earnia smiled, kicking her feet idly. "When did you become an angel? Are you some obscenely-older-then-you-look Angel too?"

She laughed. "No, no. Being ageless does make you lose track of time though, especially since we don't really need sleep either. I think I've been an angel for only a week or so. So I should look my age."

Her eyes widened again as she looked at Sendra. "Wow. And you were trusted with a job as big as doting the new Chosen around? Seems like that's an important kind of thing."

"It is. But, the boy from before, he took a liking to me. And him being a higher-up, he made sure I got this job. Much to the disappointment of Paper-wings." she giggled. "Another angel who's been one for much longer than I have. He really disapproves of my...me-ness. Overall. But he's fun to mess with, so no one really cares what he thinks. 8D"

Earnia giggled. "Paper-wings?" she asked, amused. "I wasn't aware paper was an organic material suitable for wings. :B"

"It's not. But it's rare an angel gets pretty wings like mine, the rest of them get feathery wings that look more like what you'd expect, but Paper-wings's wings look very...paperey." she grinned. "Most of the reason mine are like this is because I'm of the Mana lineage."

Earnia nodded. "That makes sense then. Does the boy from before have wings like yours? ... And does he have a name?" she added, grinning.

She laughed. "Yes, and yes, but I'm not sure if I can say his name. :/ He doesn't usually like people knowing it, let alone saying it. There's a lot of secrets amongst the angels, and his name is one of them."

"Aww. I don't like calling him 'boy.'" she said, giggling again. "He must be REALLY important and high-ranked if his name is a secret one... Or maybe he just doesn't like it very much."

"The first one. He's one of the three highest ranked angels. I'm just below them, pretty much. He's allowed me to take orders I like, and from people I respect. If someone doesn't like it, tough titties." she said leaning back and smiling smugly "Ol' Paper-wings isn't happy with that, naturally."

Earnia giggled harder. "If you're one of the highest-ranked individuals and you've only been there for a week, I can understand Paper-wings's annoyance..."

"Aye. But it's his own fault for being such a stick-in-the-mud. Part of why the boy likes me is because I can make him laugh, him being so old, and without needing sleep, he's very bored. The entire Angel city needed a laugh." she sighed a bit. "Honestly the place is a bit depressing."

"Really? It sounds like an ageless, sleepless city would be really fun to me. Never being tired, you could get all kinds of things done!" Earnia nodded to herself, tossing the pebble back and forth between her hands. "But I suppose you'd run out of things to do eventually..."

"That's honestly what I think. But a lot of the angels are too busy for fun." Sendra shook her head. "Which really isn't true, most of the city lazes about and waits for something to happen. I may be fun, but I can't make an entire city dance."

Earnia smiled at that. "Too bad. I'd love to see a city of angels dancing to some unknown beat."

"I would too. I'll have to organize that sometime. :/" she said, as Brunt went down a flight of steps, the cart bumped and clattered, but nothing really moved. Half the bridge had gone by without them noticing.

Earnia giggled. "Too bad I'll be stuck in Meltokio. X3" she said. "Find some way for me to see too, when you get it going." she beamed, looking out across the ocean the bridge stretched over.

Sendra giggled, tilting her head at the long expanse of bridge ahead. "I wonder where you'll be living... No doubt someplace will be prepared for you, but where?"

"There are expanses of huge manors in the neighborhoods surrounding the Castle, I'll probably be put in one of those. Being the Chosen is nearly as good as being royalty after all." She said, looking a little daunted at the thought.

"At least no one will argue with your being a half elf anymore." Sendra said, smiling.

Earnia smiled vaguely, looking at the pebble held in her hand. "I'm not so sure of that..." she whispered. "It's probably better if nobody knows... to have a half-elven Chosen would tear so many people down the seam. Their hatred of half-elves battling their reliance on the Chosen."

"True enough. It's still not a bad thing, humans are just funny that way. :/" she said, looking up at the darkening sky and breathing deeply.

Earnia nodded sadly. "I wish they could see that we're no different from them..." she murmured. "We're just hated because we're caught in the middle... contaminated." she wrinkled her nose at the word. "Neither human nor elf."

She laughed a bit. "Pretty much why I'm an orphan. My father didn't want me, though why he was even with a human in the first place is beyond me, and my mother was killed in the process of hiding me from the rest of the village. Dad died in a fire...almost recently."

Earnia smiled vaguely. "A lot of our kind are orphans..." she murmured. "I don't even remember how my real parents died. I was picked up at the edge of the Gaoracchia forest by a professor in Sybak as a child and was basically raised by him."

"Sucks to be us, eh?" She laughed lightly. "I never let it slow me down though, in my former line of work, no one cared what I was enough to find out, just so long as I did my job."

"What did you do before you were an angel?" she asked, looking curious again.

Sendra closed her eyes and smiled lightly up at the sky. "Killer for hire...I know that sounds bad."

Earnia blinked in surprise, then looked out at the looming end of the bridge. "An assassin..." she muttered. "Not something I'd have guessed for someone as kind as you seem."

"Part of why it was so convincing. But it was all I could do to get money where no one would ask questions. And considering most of the people I was after were fat, pompous gits who would turn me in if they ever did get a second look at me, I regret nothing."

"You must have been good at your job." she said, nodding. "A dangerous choice in career... You'd have been penalized even harder had you been found to be a half-elven assassin..."

"Another reason the boy likes me so much. What I do, I'm good at, and if I'm not at the first try, I'll try 'til I am. I'm good at pulling things off without anyone noticing what happens until it's far too late." she smiled once more. "Call me psychotic, I probably am, but it's what keeps me alive."

"It's basic instinct of all creatures; to do what they can to continue existing. I can't look down on you for that." Earnia said, smiling. "Being good at staying alive merely makes things easier."

"True enough." Sendra nodded. "I had a dangerous job, but I learned a lot from it, how to defend myself, how to not be seen..."

"Good skills to have..." she murmured, casting about a worried glance as the end of the bridge was near. In the semi-darkness, her mind played tricks on her, making it seem as if shapes and shadows were moving about, though her paranoia wasn't wholly unexpected as the bridge was a common place for bandits to hang out waiting for unsuspecting travelers.

Sendra looked about; half-hoping they might be attacked. Reminiscing about her old job made her long to have a good fight with someone...

Alas, the cart was able to rumble down the steps without being halted by man or beast, and the glittering lights of Meltokio could be seen in the distance. "We'll be stopped by guards on the way in..." she murmured. "They usually close the gates at night. :/"

"Lotta good they'll do. When a chosen and an ex-assassin angel in a cart with the best stallion in the world want through a gate, lotta good anyone can do to stop it." She giggled lightly. She knew she sounded cocky, but she didn't really...care.

Earnia beamed. "They'd let anyone bearing the title "chosen" through." she said. "Though I wonder if they'll want proof of my ...chosen... ness..."

"Like your Crystal isn't enough." she smiled. She stretched her leg out and prodded Brunt's rear, and he trotted as fast as he dared with the cart in tow.

Earnia placed a hand on her Crystal. "True..." she muttered. "I thought having this thing embedded in my skin would feel weird, but it feels like it's been part of me for as long as I've lived."

"I KNOW. Isn't that freaky? oo" Sendra said, looking down at her own, smallish one that was nestled in the crook of her collarbone.

Earnia chuckled. "Very." she said, nodding. She lobbed the pebble off into the distance, it landed in a bush and disturbed an angry and extremely large Ladybug. It zoomed up and dive-bombed the cart, missing by several feet and crashing into the ground with a loud "THUD." Earnia blinked several times. "...Oopsie. :D"

Sendra giggled loudly. "The poor buggy." She said, as Brunt came up on the city gates.

Earnia giggled hard as well, her melodic voice carrying across the night air. The guards stationed on either side of the city gates tensed at their approach, then looked at one another in surprise at the giggling females in the cart. One of them tapped his axe on the ground and spoke up. "Halt! Who are you and what business do you have in Meltokio at such an hour?"

"What business do you have asking the Chosen, and friend, what her business is?" Sendra said smugly, waving at Earnia's crystal.

Both guards tensed again. "T...The Chosen?" the other murmured. "Our apologies Chosen, we were not informed of your arrival. Please, step inside the gates." he said, and the two of them slammed their axes against the ground and the gates before them creaked open, stopping when they were just barely open enough for the cart to fit through.

Sendra smiled, prodding Brunt in his rear again, and he walked through the gates with his head held high.

The city seemed deserted save for the lights blaring through windows all around. Nobody walked the streets; nothing made a sound except Brunt's hooves over the stone. Earnia cast about with a worried look. "Maybe we should go to the Church and ask where I am supposed to stay..." she muttered. "But I don't think the cart will make it up all those steps with just Brunt..."

Sendra nodded a little, prodding Brunt's behind again and he stopped. She hopped out of the cart and petted his nose, whispering to him. "He's going to stay here; we can go to the church."

Earnia nodded as well as she slid off the cart, patting Brunt's neck once before starting up the steps toward the glimmering lights of the castle and church.

Sendra skipped along behind, her boots clicking lightly on the stone.

Earnia had just reached the halfway point when the castle doors banged open and a young lady came running out of them toward the two women on the stairs, looking flustered. "Chosen!" she called, stopping several stairs above Earnia and panting. "I am Jenna. I have been charged with the task of escorting you and your companion to your new home."

Earnia blinked several times. "Um... Okay then!" she said, beaming. "Thank you! That simplifies things."

Sendra nodded politely to the woman. "I trust the new home will have a suitable place for an animal of the equine persuasion to stay?" she grinned, waving back to Brunt.

Jenna nodded, still breathing hard. "Yes, we made sure that the Chosen's new home was somewhere your fine horse could reach." Earnia beamed wider. "Can you show us the way?" she asked, and Jenna nodded at once and swept down the stairs past them, heading toward the neighborhood that stood in the shadow of the coliseum.

Sendra called for Brunt to follow, and trailed along behind Jenna, looking rather dignified for someone who was giggling a few moments earlier.

Earnia on the other hand looked diminished, nervous and worried. Would she make a good Chosen?... Could she do everything she was expected to do...? Jenna led them through several winding streets before stopping at a fairly good-sized mansion in the heart of the neighborhood. "This is your new home, Chosen." she said, turning and bowing to Earnia. "A butler can be chosen at your leisure and servants will be hired at the earliest possible time." Earnia looked shocked at the thought of having servants and looked up in speechless awe at the place that was now hers, looking slightly frightened.

Sendra put a hand on her shoulder. "Tomorrow, I think. It is getting dark and today has been very...exciting." she said, smiling lightly as Brunt went ahead to the house "However if you could have someone come to move these boxes inside, I would be rather grateful." she said, waving at the cart as Brunt stopped at the door.

Jenna bowed again. "Right away, madam." she said, bustling off back toward the castle. Earnia watched her go, then looked back at the house. "...Wow." she said shortly. "This'll take some getting used to..."

Sendra smiled. "But once you're used to it, it really is quite fun." she said, pausing for a moment before poking Earnia in the side and dashing toward the house "TAG." she yelled behind her.


	17. Nerves of steel! Or not!

Earnia blinked before laughing and following. She skidded to a halt at the doors and gulped, pushing them open to reveal a foyer of immense size. She stared up at the high ceiling and sighed. "I'll get used to it sooner or later..." she said, glancing behind her to see where Sendra had run to in the dark.

Sendra was hiding upstairs behind the railing that surrounded most of the upper floor that looked over the foyer. Earnia closed the door behind her and walked up the stairs, examining the rich red carpeting and decor. Smiling disbelievingly, she rounded the top of the stairs and spotted Sendra. "Hey!" she cried, grinning and bolting toward her.

Sendra giggled goofily and flipped herself over the banister, hanging on to it, she slid herself down on it and made her wings appear, letting go and lowering herself to the ground. Her wings were gone again by the time she took off down a hallway, giggling all the way.

"...You SUCK." she cried after Sendra, turning and running down the stairs two at a time. Skidding on the rug at the bottom and nearly falling over, then righting herself again, she bolted down the hallway Sendra had taken, a determined air about her.

Sendra giggled faintly, though with the echo in the place it didn't help in showing where she was. She had taken to hiding behind a giant pillar.

Earnia stared, narrowed-eyed around at the giant, round room she had ended up in, it would have been a ballroom were it not for the pillars scattered throughout the room. She glared around. "Come out, come out wherever you aaaare" she crooned, her own voice bouncing off the walls.

"Interesting way of getting her settled." A quiet voice said behind Sendra. Mithos had appeared to check on how the new Chosen was fairing, and had opted for attempting to discreetly betray Sendra's hiding spot rather then appear in the middle of the room and scare Earnia.

Sendra, however calm she usually was; in a mostly-empty house, where she only knew of a young female present...to hear an obviously male child's voice, from behind her even, SCARED THE EVER-LOVING CRUD OUT OF HER. She leaped out from behind the pillar and rolled, ending up facing Mithos with her spear out and breathing hard. ... "...--;;;"

It was perhaps lucky he was still in his child form, for he collapsed to the floor laughing. Earnia whirled around looking alarmed, but realized what must have happened at once and snorted with laughter as well. She bounded up and tapped Sendra on the shoulder. "Tag. :D"

Sendra slumped and was still very -- -ey as she slipped her spear back into its sheath. "I guess I deserved that for...something...Probably..." she sulked

Mithos was kneeling on the floor, tears in his eyes from laughing. "You certainly did." he said weakly, peering with one sparkling green eye at her. Earnia grinned sheepishly, very conscious of the fact that she was in the company of a being perhaps higher then even the king.

Sendra rolled her eyes a bit and leaned against another pillar. "Good to know you can pull a prank with the best of us." she said, smiling. "Told you, you know how to have fun."

He shrugged, though still smiling widely, as he settled himself on the floor, legs crossed and leaning back on his hands. "I just wanted to see if it was possible to surprise you."

Earnia was edging away from Sendra, unsure of when and if she would spring back up and attempt to tag her, but otherwise remained silent, afraid of saying or doing something stupid.

Sendra laughed lightly, bowing her head. "I'd say I'm only human, but that concept was lost on me from birth and before." she said, grinning a little. "So what brings you here, besides scaring me half to death?"

"Several things." Mithos said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, looking more serious. "The first of which was to check on the new Chosen. I can see she's doing fine." he nodded to Earnia before directing his attention back on Sendra. "Now, Remiel has come to me complaining once again of your ignorance and disobedience and it's getting tiresome. I want you to do something about him, because it's not my battle to be fighting. :/"

"Paper-wings has his knickers in a twist, does he then? And what do you suggest I do about it?" the first question in jest, but the second asked sincerely. As little respect she had for Remiel, she might as well surprise the git and do something he approves of.

"Take orders from him. At least a few," he amended, knowing she wouldn't like listening to and obeying Remiel all the time. "If you actually listen to him once in a while, he will be in no position to complain about you never listening to him."

"He'll have to give me an order first. It may be a lot to ask of you, as I've no idea what you intend to do after visiting here, but could you deliver a message to him for me?" she asked, standing straight.

"Tell me the message and I'll see what I can do," he said, a bite of amusement in his voice as he looked up into her face.

"Tell him, as I had previously stated, that I will take orders I agree with, from those whom I respect. And while I did not respect him before now, I admire his persistency. The very next order he gives me I will obey without question, and any after that, I will do my best to apply myself to." she smiled. "Long-winded, but he seems to type to admire that."

He closed his eyes and the ghost of a smile lit up his childlike features. "I'll pass that along." he said, standing. "Now, Sendra, once you get the new Chosen settled I'd like you to return to the angel city... You're welcome to call this place a second home should Earnia permit it, but your priorities lie with the rest of the Angels. Understood?"

She took a deep breath and nodded. "Of course." she said, bowing her head lightly, and looking over at Earnia. "And, before you go, Earnia and I have been talking about you quite a lot. I know you wish your name to be kept secret, but calling you "the boy" doesn't really fit. May you make an exception to your name, or is there something else we can call you? I'm still new to what need be said and what needn't."

He looked appraisingly at Earnia and studied her for several moments, causing her to go bright red under his gaze. After a pause, he closed his eyes and nodded. "You may call me Mithos." he said simply to her. He then gave Sendra a look that clearly meant 'but she knows nothing more of my identity' and nodded, vanishing on the spot. Earnia stood limply, staring at where he had been. "Mithos, huh..." she murmured. "Just like Mithos the Hero! x"

Sendra smiled, nodding. "Aye. He's probably chosen it for the historical reference." she said, drawing her spear and pulling the head off of it. And quick as a flash, she poked Earnia in the arm with the blunted end of it. "Tag. :B" she said, taking off down another hallway.

Earnia blinked and sighed, smirking. She was just about to take off after Sendra when she heard her name being called from the front of the building. "Uh... Coming!" she called, glancing at the hall Sendra had bolted down before turning and running toward the foyer instead. Jenna had returned, a troop of four other servant-girls from the castle in tow, all of them lugging boxes in from the cart outside.

Sendra paused for a moment, hearing faint voices. She sheathed her spear, and faded away from the part of the house she was in, to an out-of-sight spot upstairs in the foyer, and came walking down the stairs about the time Earnia came into the room, smiling broadly.

Earnia glanced around in surprise and gave Sendra a 'how did you do that...?' look before turning her attention to Jenna, who bowed. "My Lady, your boxes are being unloaded as we speak and will be unpacked overnight while you sleep, if you have no objections."

Earnia stared for a moment. "...When will the people unpacking the boxes sleep? O.o"

Jenna paused. "...In the morning, of course."

"When their normal jobs start? D:"

"...Shall I take that as a 'wait until tomorrow'?" Jenna asked, smiling. Earnia merely laughed and nodded.

Sendra smiled, Earnia would make a good Chosen, she knew it. Even if she didn't know what the job entitled. She came to the foot of the stairs and stood beside Earnia.

Earnia turned to Sendra as Jenna bustled away, looking perplexed again. "Even if the hall you went down connects to that staircase, there's no way you could have run that fast. :/"

Sendra grinned. "How do you think Mithos appears and disappears?"

Earnia could have smacked herself on the forehead. "...Duh. XP" she said, giggling. "Silly me."

"Lucky enough I managed that, though. I'm not wonderful at teleporting. I'm better built for manual speed." she said, shaking her hair away.

"You've been an angel for what, a week?" she whispered, snorting. "That may change eventually."

"Might, but I prefer not using it unless I need to, or for short distances. It can be dangerous if I miss my target. . " She shook her head a bit. "Teleporting to the Angel City is dangerous as well. ...Well, teleporting anywhere inside the angel city is dangerous."

Earnia tilted her head to the side. "Why? Is it like, in a volcano or something?" she asked with a snort. "Can't imagine angels inside of a volcano..."

"Nah. It's much, much higher. :B" she said, laughing a bit. "Space. And teleporting anywhere up there could be fatal if you miss."

Earnia stared blankly for a moment. "...In SPACE?" she asked, amazed. "I can see how that would be dangerous." she muttered, lowering her voice as one of the servants passed behind her with a box. "Wow..."

"It is rather interesting. Very beautiful, if a little dark." she smiled lightly. "I'll probably go back tomorrow... :/"

Earnia made a sad face. "Aww... Well, you're welcome here anytime you want a break from your angel life." she said, smiling. "Brunt probably isn't going into space with you or anything, so can he stay here with me...?"

Sendra smiled. "Of course. He was staying near a lake before, but I'm sure he'd be much happier with someone who will interact with him." she said, looking around the mansion. "You should get used to this quickly, and enjoy it as long as you can."

Earnia smiled lightly. "I'll do my best... it's kinda daunting really. Hopefully I'll do a good job and won't have my power taken away before I really get used to it. X3"

"It will be interesting. I'll make sure to come back every once and a while." she smiled, suddenly remembering the strange green...monster... that the previous chosen turned into. She gravely hoped Earnia wouldn't have such a reaction.

She smiled. "Good. I think I'd go crazy if I didn't have a friend somewhere around here. :/ I left all my friends and students in Sybak..."

"Well, you'll be seeing them again in your classes on the bridge, remember?" she smiled. "You'll make friends here, as well."

"True..." she murmured. "This was all just so sudden." she said, laughing slightly. "I wish I'd had some kind of warning. Ah well, it's here now and I'll just have to get used to it!"

Sendra grinned. "That's the spirit!" she said, watching as the servant people unloaded the last boxes.

Earnia nodded, watching meekly as Jenna approached her again. The older woman bowed once again, making Earnia uncomfortable. "It's all done, Chosen, and each box will be unpacked first thing in the morning after we all get a good night's sleep. Sound good?"

Earnia grinned. "Very. And uhhh... could you not bow like that? It makes me feel weird. oo;"

Jenna looked surprised, but smiled. "As you wish. Good night, Chosen, and uh... I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name." she said apologetically to Sendra.

"Sendra." She said, almost curtly. She nodded to Jenna

Jenna nodded and resisted the impulse to bow to Sendra as well. "Goodnight, then, Sendra." she said cheerfully, turning and exiting the building after the other four servant-girls.

Earnia grinned sheepishly. "What a day..."

Sendra smiled. "Ah, it'll calm down eventually." She laughed a little. "And if it doesn't, you have the power to make it."

Earnia grinned wider. "That's true. What if I get power-hungry, though? D:" she said, almost jokingly. Almost. "I don't wanna be like those stuck-up nobles who don't care about anyone with less then they have..."

"Ah you won't. It'd be impossible." Sendra laughed.

"Oh good." she said, sighing. "But still. :/ Kinda creepy thinking about it. Creepy thinking about any of this stuff." she wandered over to one of the boxes that had been left in the foyer and rummaged in it for a moment, eventually withdrawing a dual-pronged weapon with silver blades. She spun it about in her hands distractedly, glancing around the giant room.

Sendra looked at it. "That's an interesting weapon. Where did you get it?"

"I got it when I went on vacation in Flanior a couple years ago. Well, it was more of a school trip then a vacation, but I got a couple days to play in the snow by myself." she said, grinning. "It's a handy kind of thing, a magic amplifier, actually. Works well for stabbing people in the face too, or at least that's what the man who sold it to me said."

Sendra grinned lightly. "Interesting... Have any other weapons?" she asked.

"Nope. I'm no fighter." she said, chuckling. "I can cast several spells that might hurt someone rather badly, but they usually take some time to activate."

Sendra laughed. "I see. May I see the silver one?" she asked, looking over it.

Earnia handed over her weapon without a word, flipping it so she held one blade and the hilt was toward Sendra. "I never named it. :/ Don't get any good name-vibes from it sadly."

She took it, twirling it about in her hand for a moment. "It is a good weapon." She stepped back, away from Earnia, and twirled about, stabbing at invisible enemies.

"You're a good fighter." she said, watching. "I guess that's to be expected from a former-assassin." she grinned. "Can you use magic?"

Sendra took no pause in her twirling. "Not really, haven't tried much."

"That's interesting, one with elven blood not using magic..." she murmured. "I'm not used to teaching someone with actual potential at using magic, but I suppose I could try sometime. You should drop in on one of my classes! x"

Sendra laughed a little. "I never tried magic because I had no need to, it would have been wasting my time to try and learn something new, when I could do my job effectively without it."

"That makes sense." Earnia said. "Still, your bosses might like it if you could do some magic. You're an angel after all! Angels gotta be able to do magic. :"

Sendra laughed. "I'm sure Mithos has something in store for me. He probably needs something to do anyway, after living for so long, he got horribly bored."

"I can imagine." she muttered, nodding. "Everything good comes with some bad I guess. Being an angel means you can live for a long time, but maybe it's possible for one to live... too long. :/"

"Aye, which is why I do hope to liven up the Angel City. :/ Maybe make life less boring for people."

"Too bad I can't go up there, I'd bet I could make a few of them liven up at bit at least with a couple of my songs." she said, sighing. "It sounds like fun to me. I guess I'm kinda like an angel-in-training, aren't I? I've got this crystal thingy, but nothing else cool about being an angel. X3"

Sendra grinned. "I'm sure I'll see how boring it can get eventually, but I'm hoping not for a while yet."

"Nah, you've got a way to go and a lot to learn." she beamed. "Those that have been around for hundreds of years, maybe not so much..."

She laughed. "Thousands in some cases, I've heard." she said, flipping out her spear and using both weapons.

Earnia smiled and watched for a few minutes, feeling the fatigue of the day settling in. "You really are a very good fighter." she said, stepping away out of reflex and caution when Sendra came a bit too close for comfort, even if she was still several feet away.

Sendra loosened her grip on her spear so her hand slipped further down as she flung it over her shoulder, stabbing some invisible enemy who was behind her. "Thank you." she said, flipping it back around and stabbing another enemy.

Earnia slid down the wall and sat on the floor, watching Sendra battling her unseen enemies. At a twinkle of light somewhere near Sendra's shoulders, she paused, staring, but once she blinked it was gone. She attributed it to her eyes going wonky after being up for such a long time.

Sendra went on, whirling about and generally enjoying herself. She liked fighting, being active.

The light appeared again, though it was more of a column from floor to ceiling this time. Earnia squinted at it; it was hardly visible even from on the floor and she knew she wouldn't be able to see it if she was standing up. Glancing around, she spotted Mithos sitting cross-legged on the floor behind the staircase, gazing up at Sendra with a mischievous glint in his eye. He winked at Earnia and raised a slightly glowing finger, signaling for her not to say anything. She suppressed a grin and looked back at Sendra, who was weaving her way toward the glimmer; what Earnia assumed to be an invisible wall.

Sendra kept on in her fighting, whipping about and holding her spear by the non-pointy end, the ribbons tied to it twirling as she approached the wall-thing

Earnia watched as Sendra came closer to the pillar of glimmer, torn between warning her of the glimmery thing she was about to hit and just watching to see what would happen. She opted for the latter as she saw, through the corner of her eye, Mithos flick his wrist upward and the glimmer expanded to form a cylinder eight feet around Sendra in every direction.

Eventually, Sendra flipped her spear to thwack some invisable enemy on the head, and the spear bounced clear off the glimmery thing. The force of it tossed her backwards a bit; she stumbled against the other side. She blinked for a few moments, snapping out of whatever trance she was in. She looked about her, and did notice the room was a bit shinier than before. That, or someone had put something shiny around her. Then she realized she was leaning on air. "...oo Uhh..."

Mithos grinned widely, keeping the barrier up and merely watching her reaction to it. It occurred to Earnia as she half-rose from her spot on the floor that he might be testing Sendra's resistance to bizarre situations, so merely poked the glimmer with a foot, looking convincingly perplexed. "...Since when is air shiny. D:"

Sendra paused. "...Well, since you're not the one doing this. I would assume it began shimmering ever since someone's forced it to." she said, standing away from it and running her hand along it. "Which is also encircling...me..." she said, pausing. "Interesting." She murmured, her wings appearing. She floated upwards until she found the ceiling. "And it goes all the way up here. oO"

"Um. oo" Earnia prodded it again but nothing really happened. "I'd say you're... kinda... stuck there?" Behind the staircase, Mithos was perfectly still, watching Sendra unblinkingly and calmly.

Sendra lowered to the ground, pressing the silver weapon Earnia had lent her against it to see if it did anything. Which it didn't. Then she smiled lightly. "Perhaps not." She said, touching to the ground, sheathing her spear, and concentrating a moment, trying to teleport.  
Mithos smiled very slightly and flicked his wrist again, causing the glimmers to become more solid, visible from every angle now. "Nice try..." he whispered. "But too simple... "

Earnia watched, glancing toward the staircase quickly and hoping Sendra didn't see her do so, realizing a moment too late that the angel in the barrier still had her eyes open.

...Pfft. Well that didn't work. Sendra stared around a bit. "...Right. Well, the second-most simple thing didn't work, and the barriers seem to have fortified." she said, putting her boot on the barrier. "And suddenly I'm more preoccupied with who's doing this."

"Let's hope it's no enemy." she said, pseudo-alarmed and convincing. She snuck over to the front door and unbolted it, glancing quickly up and down the street before closing the door again. "Hm. :/"

Sendra attempted to see if anything she had could get through it. Feet, arms, spear, wings... Eventually she tried to force the wall. "It may look stupid, but who knows..."

"C'mon, Sendra..." whispered Mithos, "You're so close..."

Earnia, who had walked the perimeter of the circle around Sendra, just barely heard Mithos muttering. "Hm... Maybe... Um..." she offered blankly. "...Try pushing the wall with your head. D"

The wall wavered very faintly as Mithos's head met the stair in front of him with a slight 'thud' at the stupidity of the suggestion.

Sendra blinked a little, seeing the waver. She smiled a little, poking the wall a few times and making a "Shhhhhhhhhhh." sound. Repeatedly.

Mithos had to work slightly to keep the wall up, she was acting so far from what he had expected it was pathetic, and yet... it was working. The wall wavered slightly again as the 'shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh'ing began to both sound ridiculously funny and extremely annoying. Earnia suppressed a smile as she heard the indistinct and annoyed mutterings of the child-angel behind the stairs. "What... exactly... are you doing, Sendra?" she asked, resisting the urge to poke the wall and make odd noises at it as well.

Sendra kept a straight face and yelled at the wall. "WHY WON'T YOU DEFLATE. XXXXXX8 "

A louder 'THUD' and stifled laughter could barely be heard as the wall wavered strongly before vanishing entirely as Earnia burst out laughing as well. "Um. I think it deflated." She choked weakly, staring at Sendra in amazement.

Sendra grinned and bolted in the direction of the thud. "I KNEW IT." she said, grabbing the stair railing and hopping over it to sit on it, near Mithos.

Mithos closed one eye and peered up at her, slight annoyance mixed with amusement evident on his face. "You failed the test but get extra points for creative thinking." he muttered, crawling out from under the stairs and standing, brushing dust off his white capelet and shirt. Earnia was still giggling, sitting on the bottommost stair.

Sendra giggled, "What was I supposed to do then? I just noticed that it wavered when something comedic was said. :D"

"You think I'm going to tell you?" he replied smoothly, not bothering to act as a normal child would around Earnia and instead assuming one of a more commanding role. "You just wait, I'll have Remiel or Yuan do it next time and just sit back and watch as the barrier gets stronger the stupider you act. You may want to brush up on your magic skill though; simple as that barrier is to take down, one can't do it with physical force." He gave a slightly patronizing smile.

She laughed. "Ah, so your sense of humor is your weakness then?" she said, moving her legs back and forth. She didn't want to admit that she had no magical skills to speak of, but if he didn't ask, she wouldn't answer. 

"Not usually." he said shortly. "You just seem to bring out the kid in me." his smile widened. "Either way, my previous task took much less time then I thought it would I so decided to see how you were getting on." he glanced at Earnia. "You've tired the Chosen out."

Which was somewhat true, Earnia, right on cue, stifled a yawn. "N-no, I'm perfectly... fine.. -.o ... Kay maybe a little sleepy."

Sendra laughed, "Now, you know it wasn't my fault." she shiftyeye'd, then smiled lightly. "Shall we find your room then, O great Chosen?"

Earnia smirked. "Guess so. But don't call me that." she said, ascending the stairs and sticking her tongue out at Sendra as she passed. Mithos crawled between two of the banister poleholderupperthingers, looking once again like a curious child.

"Of course, Madame." she grinned back, following her up the stairs.

She was amazed to find the very first door she pulled open was her bedroom, evidenced by the gigantic four-post bed along the back wall of the fair-sized room, everything once again decorated in reds and golds. "Meltokio people like red. :/" she said, stepping into the room and noting the small pile of boxes in the corner. Mithos slunk into the room just behind Earnia but stopped just inside of the doorframe, peering around without interest and leaning on the wall.

Sendra walked into the room and looked about, setting the silver weapon on a dresser. At Earnia's words, she giggled lightly. A completely unrelated thought had popped into her head.

"What's so funny?" she asked, opening a box and piling clothes pell-mell into another of the dressers. She paused as she picked up a green and blue dress from one of the boxes, setting it aside to hang in the closet instead.

"It's just now struck me. Not only will people treat you like royalty, but you'll probably end up having several men falling on their knees for your affections." Sendra smiled.

Earnia paused as she turned the box upside-down and everything fell into an empty drawer. "...Crud you're right. OO" She said, looking genuinely shocked at the prospect. "I'll just have to... like... pretend I've already got a boyfriend. Yeah. That might work."

She laughed. "If you say that long enough, some people might want to see said boyfriend."  
"...TT" Earnia said nothing, merely fidgeted with opening another box. Mithos watched with a very small smile on his face, wondering why that bothered Earnia so much.

"You could just tell them you're not interested." she said, shaking her head lightly.

"Yeah that might work for you. :/ Not so much for me. I don't like turning people away, for any reason." she muttered, finally getting the box open and realizing that it had kitchen utensils in it. "...Why the heck is this up here?" she said with a laugh.

She grinned. "It was late when they were unloading. Anyway. You could...uh...ignore them...?"

"I'll figure something out. ." she said, tossing the kitchen box aside and grabbing another one, this one proving to actually hold clothes. Mithos stood up straight and stared pointedly at Sendra. "Perhaps we should let the Chosen unpack and get settled on her own. She actually has to sleep, unlike you and I." Earnia felt her face turn red but smiled. "Being sleepless sounds fun. D:"

Sendra laughed. "Depends on who you are." she said, nodding. "Sleep well, Earnia" she said, stepping towards the door.

"G'night," she called. "And thanks for everything! I think. X3" Mithos smiled vaguely but gave no reply, stepping out into the hallway and wandering toward the staircase for no real reason.


	18. Gnome and Volt

Sendra followed along behind him. "So, what have you got in store for me later on?" she asked.

"You're painfully unaware of the world you're living in now." he said shortly, stopping on the topmost stair and looking over his shoulder at her. "Things that most children are taught in school would go right over your head. I plan on giving you a firsthand look at the things those children are only taught from books."

She blinked. "Eh, I knew I was uneducated from the start. Never bothered to pursue any sort of education, just tried to live. :/ I guess it's caught up with me." she said, shrugging.

He turned half a step and extended his hand toward her. "Come. You're likely better off learning this from my perspective in any case, as the legends of 'Mithos the Hero' have been rather altered by the humans over the course of 3500 years..." he smirked lightly, giving his child-appearance a certain kind of malice that would unnerve most.

Sendra shrugged a little, she hadn't even...really...known about "Mithos the Hero". She took his hand and shook her hair away.

The familiar-by-now mist appeared and vanished almost instantly, leaving them standing in the middle of a clearly underground cavern, dimly lit by torches on either side of the walls. "We'll have to walk a little bit of the way, it's impossible to get there by teleporting." he said.

She flipped her spear out and took off the spearhead, attaching it to her belt. She used it as a staff for the time being. "'Kay. 8D I'm following your lead."

He led her into the cavern, which was long and had various passages stemming out from deeper parts of the cave. Ignoring these, Mithos kept walking straight, toward a rope-bridge stretching over a small chasm. "Now, do you know anything of the Summon Spirits?" he asked, not really expecting her to know anything.

"...Nope! 8D" she said, smiling lightly. "It's unlikely that I'll know much of anything you want me to know. I know how to fight, and how to trick people. That's all I needed to know."

"Well that's no longer the case." he said simply. "If you don't learn this stuff and learn fast, you'll be in trouble within Cruxis, particularly with the high title you seem to have adopted."

She smiled lightly. "Never said I wasn't willing to learn." she said, holding her staff behind her back. "So what're the Summon Spirits?"

"They're the links that keep the worlds from gaining more then their share of mana." he said, stepping over a fallen rock and approaching the bridge. "There are eight of them, each with their own element, four in each world. Follow so far?"

On the bridge several yards away, a very small creature with a pointy red hat stirred, wiggling around and hopping about. It was nearly impossible to tell anything else of the small ... thing.

Sendra nodded. "Go on, I'm a fast learner." she said, following him towards the bridge. The red-hat'd bobbing thing caught her attention, but she ignored it and kept her mind on Mithos's words.

He nodded, apparently unaware of the red-hatted-thing. "Celsius, Efreet, Shadow, Luna, Volt, Undine, Gnome, and the Sylph; each respectively ice, fire, darkness, light, electricity, water, earth, and wind." he said slowly, hoping he wouldn't have to repeat that too many times. "Each has their opposite in the other world, and as one sleeps, the other is awake."

The red-hatted-thing halted in the middle of the bridge and called out at them, but in its tiny voice it was impossible to hear what it said.  
Sendra nodded, memorizing the names and elements in her mind.

Mithos continued. "When the Chosen of Mana from the declining world goes on the journey of regeneration, it is the act of releasing the seals over the sleeping spirits that reverses the mana flow." He was forced to stop there, as they had reached the bridge and the red-hat was revealed to be an extremely small human-like creature no larger then seven inches tall. He had tiny blue overalls and a red shirt on in addition to his red hat, which added at least three inches to his small height, and looked furious at their presence. "Hey, you two stupids!" it yelled at them, and in its small voice it sounded quite comical. "What're you doing here?"

Mithos sighed heavily. "Gnomelette..." he murmured, glaring at the small critter.

She smiled. "He's cute." she said, watching the tiny humanoid thing yell at them.

"We wish to see Gnome," said Mithos, but he was somehow drowned out by the tiny Gnomelette. "No way loser. D: " he yelled at them. "Gnome has no reason to see pipsqueaks like you two. GET LOST!"

Sendra giggled lightly. "Aww"

Mithos grumbled. "I am Mithos, current pact-holder with Gnome. Let us through!"

The gnomelette looked shocked. "Well why didn't you say so, you moron? Go on through!" it squeaked, before jumping off the bridge and landing on a small ledge some four feet below, scampering off. Mithos grumbled more. "...hate gnomelettes..."

Sendra grinned. "I thought he was cute. x3" she said, giggling.

He grumbled a bit more and walked across the bridge and toward a fork in the rock, one side leading down a tunnel and the other a steep ramp of several feet leading to a stone bridge. "Where was I... ah. The power of summoning was all but lost several hundred years ago, with very few still possessing the ability and skill. This is fine with me, for I am the one who holds pacts will all the spirits... I alone hold power over each element, able to summon any spirit at will."

"It's a wonder the Gnomelettes weren't taught to recognize you." she commented, following.

"They're too stupid to recognize anyone." he muttered, sliding down the stone ramp with little difficulty. "A vow is made to the spirit without a pact, and a pact is formed should you be judged worthy by the spirit. Should the pact be broken, a new summoner is able to ask the spirit to annul the pact with the former master and make a new pact with them. Hasn't and likely won't ever happen, though..."

She nodded, following along, using her staff to stabilize herself along the ramp.

"Most of the spirits are rather stuck in the old ways and speech patterns, but Gnome is... very different. I think you'll like him." he said, crossing the bridge swiftly and sliding down another ramp. Before them stretched another stone bridge of several yards, leading to a plateau with a large shrine upon it, the pillars and platform untouched by time. In the center of the platform a patch of sparkling light twinkled, mysterious as the sudden appearance of such a shrine would be to a normal adventurer.

She quickly looked over the shrine, taking it in and admiring it. An amazing place, to be sure. She was confident that if this Gnome was near as cute as the Gnomelettes, Mithos would be right.

Mithos approached the shrine slowly, stopping just before the platform's steps. "I call upon the Servant of Mother Earth..." he spoke, his voice calm and commanding. "Come forth, Gnome!"

The shimmering light swirled and, after a moment, an extremely large, brown furry thing with a shovel and what looked like a bow on his head appeared, bouncing on the balls of his feet and looking generally happy. "...MITHOS!" he cried, upon spotting the blond boy before him. "How have ya been old buddy! Wow, seems like you haven't aged a day. Guess that happens when you go nuts and take the ability to age away from yourself. :DDDDDD"

Mithos sweatdropped. "Yes. I suppose so. . "

Sendra giggled behind him, the giant furry thing was absolutely adorable. And comedic! Woot.

Gnome spotted Sendra and giggled in his quick and happy voice. "And who's this:o You dropped your other companions in favor of her did you?"

Mithos opened his mouth to explain but was but off by Gnome. "OH WAIT I GET IT. :DDDDDDD She must be your girlfriend!"  
If he wasn't so composed, Mithos would have fallen over out of sheer surprise that Gnome would have gathered something as out-of-the-blue as that.

Sendra bit her lip from laughter. "A simple companion." she said through giggling. "Here to learn more about you."

Mithos merely stood there, slightly nonplussed as Gnome proceeded to totally ignore him. "Oh, here to learn about ME you say? ;D" Gnome asked, stepping off of the platform to stand near Sendra. Standing at nearly eight feet tall, he was rather intimidating, though the broad grin offset that slightly. "Well, I AM a fascinating creature. ;D Power to purify dead ground and help things grow and generally be good to this place we call earth Oh. And I help hold you to the ground, too. That's a plus"

She leaned up to look at Gnome. "Well that's awesome:o" she said, putting her spear back and focusing on the giant furry thing.

"I know. DDDD" Gnome said, nodding vigorously. "Got any gardening to do, no matter how small the job, I can help! Just give a holler, chicka. ;D"

"Gnome, technically she has absolutely no power over you." Mithos commented, raising an eyebrow. Gnome froze for a few seconds. "...Technicalities." he said finally, grinning again and resuming his bouncing.

Sendra grinned lightly, nodding. "I don't do much gardening, but I'll remember your offer! "

"Good, good!" Gnome said cheerfully, his bow spinning of its own accord. Mithos sighed, knowing this would be the most annoying spirit to introduce Sendra to, which was why he picked Gnome first. Gnome glanced at Mithos before returning his attention to Sendra. "I didn't catch your name!" he said, stopping his bouncing for a moment to look quizzically at her. "You must be something special to be traveling with Mithos, even if you aren't his girlfriend! D"

She smiled. "I am Sendra." she said, grinning broadly.

"A pleasure to meet you, Sendra!" Gnome said, bowing happily to her. Mithos addressed the summon spirit. "Gnome, has anything odd been going on recently? More earthquakes then usual or anything out of the ordinary?"

Gnome, who looked as if he'd rather forget Mithos was there, looked at the angel. "Nope, and I'd know if there were earthquakes, I'd have created them. You should know that silly. D"

Sendra smiled. "Yeah. I mean, he is master of all ground-type stuff."

Mithos had a very "-.-" expression on his face. "Right, well. I think you've gleaned all you can from Gnome, Sendra."

Gnome looked saddened. "Aww, leaving already? DDD: But we were just getting to know each other! Sendra didn't even learn about how cool it is when you can make whole continents move. ;DDD"

She smiled. "Well that sounds awesome. :o I'll have to come back and visit again, Gnome, but Mithos is right, I have much more to learn."

"Awwww. D:" said Gnome. "Well, okay. See ya around, Sendra! Mithos!" he said, winking at Sendra and vanishing, leaving nothing but the sparkling mist that magically appeared once more in the middle of the platform. Mithos sighed. "That was. Um. Fun. . You remember the names of the other summon spirits? Which one would you like to visit next?"

"Hm... Volt." she decided, picking one at random. "Gnome was awesome though. :B"

"Volt will be interesting, as he can't speak English." he said, smirking. "At least you picked one in Tethe'alla, as Gnome is. Volt, Gnome, Shadow, and Celsius all live in Tethe'alla, their respective opposites in Sylvarant." he extended his hand toward her. "To the temple of Lightning. Shall we?"

She nodded, taking his hand. Doesn't speak English, huh...Well that will be fun. o:

"Mind you..." he said, as the mist returned. "Volt understands English just fine. He just chooses not to speak it." his smirk widened as the mist vanished and they stood on a raised platform at the top of three staircases. Every ten seconds or so a large bolt of lightning would fall from the unseeable ceiling and strike a lightning rod on a platform near and above their heads. Mithos turned and went through a door behind them, not paying any attention whatsoever to the lightning.

Sendra jumped lightly with the first bolt after their entering the room, then followed Mithos through the door, keeping quiet and observing things around her.

A foyer-like room with staircases on either wall leading up to a landing above was just beyond the door, this room much darker then the last due to the lack of a lightning rod. "Volt is easy to get to these days..." he muttered. "I'm glad we don't have to go through those pitch-dark rooms with the never-ending staircases..." he turned left and went up the staircase, Volt's shrine just happened to be on the landing above their heads, again with the shimmering mist in the center of the platform.

Sendra followed along. "This place is even more interesting than Gnome's. oo;" she said, looking around the foyer, even if the lightning rod room was slightly more interesting.

"This place is so annoying." he growled. "I'll show you." he grabbed her by the wrist and stepped through a door next to him, taking a few steps into it and stopping, holding her next to him to stop her from moving as well. The room was totally, completely and utterly dark. Until one flash of lightning hit the rod outside, providing the room with a brief flash of light. In that flash it could be observed that the room consisted of several levels of platforms all connected by staircases, all rather narrow, and it was impossible to see the floor. "Trust me. You DON'T want to fall."

She blinked. "... .o; ...Kay... I...won't?" she said, she didn't remember him being this ticked before.

He dropped to his knees and looked over the side of the platform they were on, waiting for the flash of light. As it came and illuminated the room again, he 'hmm'ed and stood up again. "The flash used to be strong enough that you could see the spiky floor. :/ Must be losing some measure of power. C'mon." he said, carefully waiting until the light flashed again before taking her by the wrist and leading her back out the door.

She let herself be dragged along, since she...didn't wanna fall, really. 8D "Well, I seem to be a bit happier about him being over /here/, away from the dark scary room. :B"

"There are several of those rooms in here..." he said. "I remember quite clearly having one of our number fall down in a moment of darkness several times and we all had to run to the bottom floor again to rescue whoever it was that fell. :/" As they approached Volt's temple, Mithos slowed once more, walking carefully up to bottom step of the platform. "Now, how did his summon go..."

Sendra stood back a little from him and watched the shimmeryness, waiting for the next Summon Spirit to appear.

"Hammer of Godly Thunder!" Mithos called after a minute, raising a hand toward the sparkles on the platform. "I call thee, Volt!"

The sparkles vanished, replaced by what was basically a large round ball of electricity with eyes. An ominous humming along with the faint crackle of Volt's electricity filled the air as he appeared, his eyes falling on Mithos. Volt spoke in a distant voice and language that was barely recognizable as language, and yet somehow familiar. _'Mithos, the pact-breaker...'_ Volt hissed. _'Have you come to disappoint the Hammer of Godly Thunder once more?'_

Mithos sweatdropped, wondering how to translate that for Sendra. "Uuh..."

Sendra blinked, understanding it, but making no move to show she did...What? It'd be funny! ...Shut up, conscience. x:

Mithos shifted in slight uncomfort, and a great measure of annoyance. "He said hello and why are we here. . " he said after a moment. He addressed Volt. "I have come bearing one who wishes to learn of your might, Volt." he said at length, weighing every word.

Volt turned his great eyes on Sendra, and crackled out a response. _'I have no wish to teach the old ways to anyone. I make no more pacts and wish only to be rid of you, pact-breaker. Be gone!' _

Sendra suppressed a smile. "Whatever it is he has done, I had no part in it, I only wish to learn. I was given little to no education, I wish to undo my mistake now, as I am older. Please, can you not tell me anything?"

Mithos looked surprised at her apparent ability to understand, as he was just about to translate Volt's words to her.

Volt eyed her for a few long moments. _'Though I have lost faith in people, I see no harm in teaching you.'_ he said after a few moments, and suddenly the room was alight with electricity, bounding off the walls and floor, though touching neither Sendra nor Mithos.

_'I have reign over all lightning and thunder. The storms that scare human children on long rainy nights are my doing, as are the bolts of lightning that cause fires to engulf dead forests. I am the static that shocks you as you touch metal or another being; I am the flashes of light that light up the sky. I am the Hammer of Godly Thunder.'_

Sendra looked about in awe at the lightning. "And mighty you are, Volt." she said, smiling lightly.

The lightning subsided and he turned back to Mithos. _'You have gotten what you came to receive. Now be gone!'_ he crackled angrily, before fading back into the sparkles that were there before. Mithos sighed. "I wonder how many of them will be like that. . "

She murmured a thanks, not really caring or knowing if he heard it. "Sounds like you did something to annoy 'im." she said looking at him with her eyebrow raised lightly.

He wasn't inclined to answer her as he turned away from the platform, stopping one he stood beside her. "To Shadow or Celsius?" he asked, voice slightly flatter then usual. "I'd rather keep to Tethe'alla for the moment."

"Of course...Shadow." she decided, again, at random. And Shadow sounded like an interesting name anyway.

"As you wish." he said, offering her his hand. "From the simplest to get to, to the hardest. Shadow lives deep under one of the Fooji mountains and his temple is often riddled with monsters because of it. You'll do well to be prepared."

She pulled her spear out with one hand, taking his with the other. "Ready as I can get."


	19. Shadow and Celsius

The mist returned and they suddenly stood in the entrance room of a giant temple, barely-lit but massive. A ramp that led downward lay before them, stretching into the darkness. "It would serve us better..." he said quietly, glowing faintly. The glow deepened and shifted as he transformed into his adult form. "If I can fight easier." he finished, his voice deeper and more poised as he stepped toward the ramp, the glow from his wrist-wings serving as a very faint light source.

Sendra followed him, her spear in her fist (holding it tightly, she knew better than to keep her hand lax on her weapons), and making sure her senses were heightened.

As they entered the dismally-lit room beyond, the massive labyrinth-like staircase that led to the heart of the mountain stretched on the level below them, sinking into the icy depths of darkness. A startled screech and the scattering of footsteps echoed off to their left and stopped just as suddenly as it had started, the darkness concealing whatever had been spooked by their presence. "It's unlikely we'll be attacked by most of the creatures in here, but anything's possible. Be on your guard." he said, walking right and toward the first of the many staircases leading downward.

She nodded, following along the faint light of his wrist-wings, watching the darkness for any sort of movement.

Another screech, louder then the first, sounded and out of the darkness bounded a large skeleton of gold, carrying a sword nearly as large as it was. It raised its sword and charged toward Sendra but, at a click of Yggdrasill's fingers, vanished in a burst of fire. "-.- And naturally everything in here is undead and less affected by physical combat..."

"Woo." she muttered lightly. "Leaving me nearly defenseless." she said, holding her spear all the tighter.

"Only if you're swarmed." he said, continuing on. He opted to jump over a low wall and directly onto the staircase below them rather then go around it. "If there's only one or two, you'll probably be able to get rid of them."

"And if not, you're here. 8D" she smiled lightly but continued watching the blackness.

"True." he said, smirking lightly. He paused at the bottom of the stairs, watching a group of very large catlike creatures with wings and scorpion tails prowl around a lamp giving off a pool of pure, white light. "...Chimeras." he said, watching with narrowed eyes. It was perhaps lucky the Chimeras hadn't spotted them, since each was more then twice the size of either angel and there were at least five of them.

She kept quiet, watching the chimeras prowl a moment. Lifting her spear a bit higher, glancing at the shiny wings to make sure she was still where she was supposed to be.

"If there was only one of them I'd say you should fight..." he muttered, taking a step forward and placing his hand on the wall, eyes still on the chimeras, who had stopped prowling and were looking around curiously, apparently aware of their presence but still not sure just where the two intruders were. "But due to their sheer number, I think I should get rid of them. I trust you have no objections?"

"A-nope." she said, watching the chimeras, interested in what Mithos would do with them.

"Then stay here." he said, taking a few steps forward. The chimeras all looked around as he approached and began to growl, encircling him quickly and paying no attention to Sendra whatsoever. He closed his eyes, looking quite calm for being in the center of a group of poisonous, winged cats that were each twice his size. As one finally broke the ranks and pounced, his eyes snapped open and he placed his hand on the wall again, speaking softly. "Death Eater."

The room exploded with light and howls of pain from the chimeras, and a further blast of light blinded everything in the room as several beams of light tossed themselves from above and pierced the monsters. Several seconds later, the light faded and the Chimeras were nowhere to be seen, having been completely wiped away by the force of the spell.

Sendra smiled. "Perhaps I would do good to learn the uses of magic after all." she said, blinking as her eyes adjusted to it being dark again.

He smirked, beckoning her forward now that the monsters were gone. "You possess elven blood; magic should come naturally to you. Think back, has anything odd happened to you in the past that you couldn't quite explain?"

She thought a moment, heading over to where he was. "Yes actually... Once, I wanted to kill one git with a hard whack to the neck with the wood of my spear, fatal usually, if not, then the spearhead does just as well when they're down. Though when I'd gone to whack him, before my spear even hit him, his head came clear off and it hadn't felt like I'd hit anything at all. o.O"

"Hm..." he said, continuing down the winding staircase automatically. "You could have invoked a wind spell without realizing it. Several spells that are attributed to wind have the ability to slice through things like that."

She shrugged. "I had no idea what had did it, but it was an especially sensitive job and I had wanted to get it done well. I hadn't cared how it happened at the time, his head was off, and I was fairly sure it wouldn't be coming back, so I collected the pay."

"That'll have done it." he said, nodding absently as the staircase stopped abruptly and took a sharp turn. "When you do or study magic, try to examine and understand what happened on that occasion. It may help you."

She followed, thinking absently about such instances that she couldn't explain, following along the bobbing pinkypurple light from his wings. 

He walked in silence for several minutes, delving deeper and deeper into the darkness of the mountain. Unable to see more then four or five feet in front of him, he was slightly wary of what may be lurking. Suddenly, smirking, he asked a question out of the blue. "Quick. What is the name of the summon spirit of fire and what is the name and element of their opposite?"

"Efreet, Undine of the element Water." she said, without skipping a beat. She moved her grasp on the spear a little lower, better swinging range.

His smirk widened. "Close. Celsius and Ice would be Efreet's opposite, odd as it may seem. Volt keeps Undine in check." he glanced over his shoulder at her. "Almost a trick question isn't it?"

"Ah, but you never told me which one was opposite to whom, merely that they had opposites." she smiled.

He nodded. "Indeed, I just wanted to see how keen you were on elemental opposites. Name for me then, the spirit of wind and their opposite?"

"The Sylph, opposite to Gnomey of Earth. :B" she grinned behind him.

"Very good." he said. "And it seems futile to ask as there are only two left, but name for me the spirit of light and their opposite."

"Luna, and Shadow of the element Darkness...Obviously" she said, shaking her hair away, even if it was futile in the darkness, but it annoyed her.

"You are indeed a quick learner." he said, pausing as they finally reached a large platform. "Nearly there. I must warn you that Shadow is a spirit of very few words, so it's possible you may not learn as much from him as you may like."

She nodded. "And will he be quite as grumpy as Volt was?" she asked.

"I have no idea." he said honestly, descending the wider staircase that led down onto a much larger platform. "Probably not as much, but one never can tell with the spirits. Gnome is the only predictable one. :/"

"Because he's just awesome like that." she said, followed by a fake cough.

"Indeed," he said dryly, stepping off of the staircase and staring at Shadow's shrine, as untouched as either of the other two. As he stepped forward, he transformed into his proper form, and raising his arms, he once again spoke in the commanding tone so unfitting of such a small-looking child. "I call upon the Envoy from the Dark Abyss, Shadow!"

The sparkles on the shrine, nearly invisible in the darkness, shifted and glowed as a tall form stepped out of them, and the darkness around them grew, if possible, darker, yet it was still perfectly possible to see one another. Shadow, great and vaguely human-shaped, seemed to be formed of darkness itself. He took in both Mithos and Sendra for several moments before speaking in a slow, far-off voice. "...pact-breaker..."

Mithos slapped himself on the forehead. "You too, eh?"

Sendra once again suppressed a smile, holding her spear in the crook of her arm and waiting to see if there was even a need for her to speak... again

Mithos cleared his throat and stood straighter, staring at Shadow. "I have come bearing one who wishes to learn of your strength, Shadow." he said, gesturing toward Sendra. "We have traveled through your temple and battled many monsters to reach this place."

Shadow stepped off of his platform and bypassed Mithos, walking to stare down at Sendra. He studied her for several long moments. "...Abyssss." he hissed in his soft voice, the darkness enveloping Sendra and himself and cutting off everything else. It pressed down upon the two of them, somehow seeming solid in its completeness.

Sendra stood, looking up at Shadow unblinkingly, and made no move. Her knuckles turned slightly white around her spear though.

Shadow swayed very slightly and the darkness broke in several places, letting light shine through for a brief moment before closing again. The darkness swirled like that for several moments, breaking and fixing itself instantly in a graceful pattern. "Power..." Shadow said quietly, the darkness sealing itself tightly around them again for a brief moment before breaking entirely, returning to how it was before. Mithos and Shadow's shrine could be seen again, the angel watching calmly from the bottom stair of the shrine.

Sendra smiled. "Darkness, confusion, a frightening prospect. And powerful indeed. Thank you."

Shadow hissed softly and vanished, fading back into the sparks of glitter on the shrine, Mithos smirked. "Shadow is useful. In darkness, one can gain the edge over their opponent, attacking from any and all directions in a moment of utter confusion and fear. Many underestimate the darkness."

"Interestingly, Shadow is the one who has said the least, and yet I have learned the most from him." she said, smiling faintly. "On to Celsius, then?"

He smirked. "To Flanior. Or rather, a cave near it." he extended his hand toward her. "Hope you don't mind snow..."

She blinked lightly, taking his hand "... What's snow?"

He paused. Blinking, he stared at her blankly for a few moments before smiling faintly. "Ice. Soft, powdery ice." he said simply, the mist returning. The temperature dropped thirty or forty degrees the second the barrier dropped, and they stood on the outskirts of a large city in the hours of early morning, snow falling softly from the sky and deepening the many feet of snow already on the ground and roofs of buildings.

She blinked, eyes adjusting to the brightness of the snow. "o.o... Snow, eh?" she said, staring down at the wet stuff covering her boots "... .o;"

He chuckled, drawing his cape around him a little tighter as he set off toward the south, a cave just visible through the softly falling snow. "It's fun stuff if you're dressed properly for it. Or if, as it is in our case, your ability to sense temperature is dulled slightly..."

She followed along, the snow was very...weird, and crunched under her boots, but she ignored the freaky feeling in her shoes.

"I think you'll like Celsius as well..." he said after a few moments, trudging through the thickening snow. "She's not as laid-back as Gnome but she has a certain air about her that's hard to ignore..."

She grinned; she'd liked all of them so far. Gnome was fun, Volt was...amazing to say the least, if not grumpy. Shadow was powerful... She regretted not learning of this earlier.

"The Sylph will be interesting as well..." he contemplated, more to himself then to her. "The others I'm not sure of. Undine and Efreet are rather serious characters, and Luna refuses to talk to anyone unless Aska is there as well..."

"Who's Aska?" she asked.

"Luna's partner," he said, raising his voice slightly to be heard over a gust of wind. "Also a Summon Spirit of Light, though rarely makes an appearance. He tends to travel the world of Sylvarant rather then stay at the Tower of Mana with Luna."

She nodded, preferring to keep quiet over the wind. She held the sheath over her arm a bit closer, and regretted her other arm was bare.

Mithos fared no better, for his capelet didn't really offer much protection to the wind. The cave they approached was near, though; the wind wouldn't continue to bother them for long.

She, for once, let her hair dangle near her face. Some very minor wind-blockage, at least...

Mithos ducked behind a large rock and sighed, staring ahead at the cave some ten yards before them. "Watch your step, there are often patches of ice around here. I can guarantee we'll be going over at least one of such a path of ice once inside, so you may want to avoid them out here. . "

She nodded, and stopped holding her sheath near her. She'd need both hands to keep herself steady when/if this ice patch came up.

He took a deep breath and plunged into the wind and flying snow again, heading straight for the cave. Buffeted and blinded, he ended up walking too far to the left and ended up walking smack into another rock instead. "...ow."

Sendra held up her arm in front of her, her sheath acting as a partial shield to the wind, laughing lightly, but heading for the cave nonetheless. If she got there before him, so be it. Just to be out of the wind. . 

He righted himself and walked on, actually being tossed back into the same rock before getting very far by a great gust of wind. Grumbling angrily, he glowed briefly and transformed, hoping his adult form would provide some greater measure against the wind due to the weight and bulk. It worked, and he managed to catch up to Sendra and gratefully slip into the cave just as another great gust of wind blew across the snowy plains.

She blinked at him. "Skin tight suit in snow. Interesting choice." she commented, wiping snow away from her eyes and trying to get the wet slush out of her boots.

He mumbled and transformed again, shaking snow out of his hair. "It was that, or get blown away by the wind. . " he said irritably. "Never seen a storm this bad. Celsius is either in a bad mood or a very good one. Let's hope for the latter."

"She may end up being the former, considering mood of the last two when they saw you. :/" she said, taking her boot off briefly upturning it, whacking the heel of it once, and a pile of snow dislodged itself and splattered on the floor. She returned the boot to her foot and took out her staff once more.

"Nah... anything's possible I guess, but she doesn't strike me as one to be overly angry about me showing up." he said, walking into the enormous cavern and walking down a staircase carved from the stone itself. "Technically I've got power over them regardless of what I do until some other summoner comes along and convinces them to make new pacts, and Celsius isn't one to dwell over things she can't control."

"You're right, I probably will like her." she said, now combing her damp hair away from her face with her fingers.

He walked on, stopping on an ice-bridge that stretched over a lake ridden with rocks and pillars. He turned his back on the lake and toward a door of pure ice that was below them, milky-white and striking against all the dark grey rock. "There's where we're headed, but we need to get over the lake first..." Mithos turned and nodded toward the immense lake that stretched below them, reaching out to the other end of the great cavern.

Sendra nodded "Right... ... ..Is it impossible to fly:/" she asked blankly. It seemed like a better solution than walking...over water.

"Sadly yes. Angelic powers have little effect in the realms of Summon Spirits. You could probably summon your wings, but it would be unlikely you could lift yourself off the ground with them." he stated, walking onward. "It would probably be possible for me to do it, but I'm over 3000 years your senior, and have had that much more practice. :/"

"Phooey." she said, sticking her tongue out lightly. "On we go, then:/"

"To the lake." he said, sighing. "Let me think... Last time I was here, Yuan froze the lake using some horridly advanced spell... I don't remember what he used, but I can probably gain the same effect from a simpler spell."

"If it was slightly warmer water and...less...rocks... I'd be tempted to just jump." she said, peering at the lake. Wheee.

He smirked. "That would be an option were we able to function our wings properly. Ah, well..." he said, sliding down a rock and kneeling at the edge of the lake, the door level with them now and far across the still water. He moved his hand over the water, almost but not quite touching it, thinking. "I wonder..." he muttered. "...Icicle."

From the point his hand hovered over the water, a thick layer of ice spread, chilling the already cold water into a solid mass all the way across. He stood, sighing. "Well that was simpler then I had thought."

She clapped. "WILL have to learn some sort of magic sooner or later, preferably sooner." she grinned.

He smiled. "That's a very simple spell and usually not one of great power, but in my hands..." he shrugged lightly. "Even simple spells can have devastating effects." He stared down at the ice for a moment, before holding out a hand to her. "Shall we:/ May be better if we stick to each other here, I remember a chaotic mess last time I was faced with this situation."

She nodded, taking his hand and composing herself. She was unsure how thick the ice was, and careful footing was needed "Oh? What happened, if I may ask?"

"Kratos was the only one who managed to get across without ending up running into rocks, walls, or another trying to cross." he said, a faint note of amusement as he stepped onto the ice. It held nicely, though he slid very slightly as he took his other foot off the nice, solid rock he had been on moments before. "Though I'll admit it was kind of fun sliding across this thing. Martel loved it... Kratos thought we were all fools. X3"

She grinned. "And that was disastrous? Kratos is worse than you are...were, sense-of-humor wise. It sounds fun to me."

"Point taken," he said, clinging to her arm as he slid and nearly fell over. "...x.x Though it's lost some of its appeal to me in the thousands of years since this last happened..."

She helped get him back upright again and stepped across the ice, just as shakily as he was. "What, too old to slide across the ice with the kiddies?" she teased.

He mumbled an indistinguishable reply, too focused on keeping his footing to argue. Slipping about on the ice had little merit to him anymore, as he had more important and less childish things to be doing, though in thinking that he reminded himself forcibly of Kratos and decided that he was getting a little too serious.

She shook her head lightly, quiet for a moment. Then she asked a very unsuspected question. "So, are you glad I'm a part of Cruxis now?" she'd asked it in a tone fitting of her, but she was serious when she asked it.

"Wha?" he asked, too busy righting himself from slipping again to answer at once. "...I suppose?" he asked, blinking in bewilderment at the odd question. "Your skills will be useful to me once you no longer need to be toted around like a child."

She laughed lightly. "And after I don't need to be toted about, are you going to go back to your busy, but somehow boring, schedule?"

"How can I with someone like you floating around?" he asked, snorting. "In the lull between Chosens, there's little to do, that's when you'll come in most handy. You bring out something in me that I haven't been in contact with for... hundreds of years. My ability to have fun." he smirked lightly. "I could have gone on without your influence I'm sure, but it's good to be back in contact with that portion of my mind."

"That's what I wanted to hear. So, listen to this logic. As long as we're here, I don't care if you've gotten too old for it or somesuch, but I doubt I can get back here without you, much less freeze over the lake. I'm going to take my chance while I can, you go ahead and hobble along the ice if you like." she said, unsheathing her spear with the arm he wasn't holding onto, letting go of him, sticking just the tip of the spear in the ice (not far enough to break it), and launching herself off, sliding across the ice and dodging anything that got in her way. Well, he'd either be booming mad with her for it, thank her later for it, or both. But she did have good logic, you have to admit.

He slid and stumbled over a rock, ending up rolling over to avoid coming in contact with another (much pointier) rock, and clung to the pillar he had slid into for support. He glared at her, though he didn't really look that angry either. "Suit yourself." he said, pushing off from the pillar and managing to slide somewhat gracefully over the ice, unimpeded now by Sendra and her odd questions and comments.

She grinned, trying to go as fast as she could, and in various sliding positions. "Wheee" she squeed, poking her spear into a rock and going around it.

He glanced over his shoulder at her once he was near the shore, an eyebrow raised. "I know how Kratos felt now," he said, watching her circle and swerve happily. "You continue to amaze me, Sendra."

"I'm including it in my private job description." she replied, managing to use the next rock to her advantage and standing up again, sliding, almost surfer-esque, to the shore, and stepping off the ice.

He shook his head lightly, almost laughing. "You're including what in your job description, exactly?" he asked, stopping next to her and brushing himself off, free of powdered ice and dust from the rocks.

"Amazing and/or amusing you. :B" she said, shaking herself off in a animalistic way, and sheathing her spear again. "Man, you missed it. That was fun. D:"

"I think I'll survive," he said dryly, walking toward the large and heavy door. "Now how the hell did I open this thing... :/"

She returned to a semi-serious state and watched him in front of the door.

He experimentally placed a hand on the door, silent and calculating. He traced a finger down along the seam of the door from as high as he could reach in his current form to the bottom, and it cracked open, mist seeping from beneath and above. "There we go." he said, pulling the thick door open with little difficulty and stepping inside, to the misty room which held the same shrine as the three before; this one the shrine of Ice.

Sendra followed him inside and waited, and somehow just noticing that, despite the cold, it was actually very pretty in this cave...

He approached the shrine and, same as before, spoke to the glimmers of light in the center of the platform. "I call upon thee, Disciple of Everlasting Ice, show yourself, Celsius!" he called, watching the glimmers move and form into the shape of a blue-skinned young woman, who crossed her arms in front of her and stared down at Mithos with an expression that betrayed no emotion. "Mithos..." she said, raising an eyebrow. "Been a while. Grapevine says you've been keeping busy, toting around a little angel-girl who was apparently absent in school for most of her life." her cold (mind the pun) eyes fell on Sendra and she smirked. "I 'spose yah want me to show this little firecracker what I can do, aye?"

Mithos smiled lightly, not really having expected Celsius to know of his purpose there. "Right as always."

Sendra smirked right back. "The grapevine goes fast." she commented, leaning back and watching Celsius.

Celsius 'Hmm'ed and stepped off her platform, passed Mithos, and stopped in front of Sendra. "I'll assume you've already seen the force blizzards can hold..." she spoke softly, holding her slightly-glowing hands behind her back. Mithos noted that, slowly and quietly, ice began to seep from the floor and encase Sendra's boots. "Ice and chills can have numerous effects on the human body. From mere discomfort to frostbite to hypothermia and everything in-between. It is an infallible substance, melting into water at certain points but always able to turn to its proper, beautiful form of ice," she hummed softly, closing her eyes briefly before snapping them open again. "Follow so far?"

Sendra nodded, keeping comments to herself, and not really noticing her boots.

The ice-maiden smiled, and Mithos had to suppress a grin as the ice began creeping further up, freezing Sendra's feet to the floor. Celsius twirled one hand about in the air, keeping the other behind her back. A small flurry of snow followed her fingers, and it danced and swirled to her will, creating a hypnotizing dance that would mesmerize even the toughest opponents. "The beauty encompassed in ice is unsurpassed, as is the trickery..." as she spoke, the snow turned into sharp icicles, and she sent them toward the wall behind Sendra, where each one punctured the stone and left several large cracks. "Beautiful, but deadly."

She nodded, shifting her weight from one leg to the other, and noticing...Uh-oh. She attempted lifting one foot. Yeah, right, like that would happen. She let her head drop, laughing a little. "I will admit, I had underestimated the elements I have seen thus far. Perhaps ice and snow most, since I had not encountered snow before now at all, and ice was something relatively new to me anyway... Can I have my feet back now? ."

A flurry flew through the room as Celsius laughed. "You've learned what you can from me. Beware those who use my power against you; you may just find yourself frozen in time." she bowed and vanished, taking the ice encompassing Sendra's boots with her. Mithos grinned. "She hasn't changed a bit."

Sendra flexed her foot a bit. "An interesting encounter." she said shaking her hair away and looking at him. "I'm thinking Efreet next, no doubt he's somewhere warm."

He smirked. "To the Triet desert. Those in Sylvarant will need to be temporarily awoken so you can speak to them, but that's not an issue. Come." he said, offering her his hand once more.

She took it, keeping her other hand behind her back. Waiting for that, well known by now, shimmery mist stuff. 


	20. Efreet And Undine

And it came, taking slightly longer then usual to dissipate owing to the long distance traveled. The second it vanished, the temperature did a 180, going from 10 below to 110. "Welcome to the desert. ." he said, waving his arms about momentarily before turning east and trudging through the sand, toward a temple built into the rock face. Decayed and destroyed by the sand and time itself, it was half-buried and what one could see was falling apart and eroding.

She followed along, glad for the change of climate. .o

"Watch for scorpions and vipers, they like this place." he said, kicking a small pile where sand had gathered from the winds and sending sand everywhere. He smiled and jumped rather then stepped forward, looking much more like a kid then he usually allowed himself to look.

She plucked her spearhead off the spear and, since it was light enough, it made a decent throwing weapon. Just in case. She hopped along behind him.

He jumped again and landed with a 'thud' on something defiantly solid. It seemed to shake him; he looked up at the still-somewhat-distant temple and blinked. "...Thing goes out farther then I remember." he said, walking now along the path that was obscured by sand. "Where's the stupid door..."

She did one cartwheel and walked just behind him. She had that dumb-curious look on her face.

He ignored her, searching for a way into the temple. "...Right, right, closed temple..." he murmured upon spotting a plinth with a stone set into it. He placed his hand on the stone and a door opened next to him, sliding out of the floor and revealing a staircase that led into the depths of the temple. "This temple should be fairly straightforward, we go through the tunnel, go up the stairs, stand on the teleporty-thinger and we're there."

"Yay x" she half-squee'd.

He descended the stairs and walked along the empty hall, glancing left and right at the intricate arches carved into the stonework, torches set into the center of each arch. "Fire, an addicting element..." he said. "And the first magic you'll learn shall be procuring a fireball... it's the simplest of all magics."

She nodded. "Sounds simple enough... So what's Efreet like?"

"Serious and steadfast," he said, stepping through an arched doorway and gazing around at the enormous chamber before them. Platforms on all levels stood silent amongst lit torches set into the walls. Mithos walked up a staircase that led to a platform with something shining on the floor. "He gets right to the point of things, as does Undine."

She nodded. "Noted." she said, blinking at the shiny floor. Such contrast to sand and stone.

He stopped just short of the shining circle on the floor. "Step on this and it'll take you straight to Efreet's temple. I'm glad this temple hasn't really changed since last I was here, lighting those torches in the walls was a pain..."

Sendra nodded, cautious at first of the shiny floor, but she trusted Mithos enough, and it's not like they hadn't encountered weirder things... She stepped in the shineyness.

He followed, and they stood once more before a large platform that stood as a shrine to Efreet. Unlike the other four however, this one had a barrier around the shiny sparkles, dimming the light they gave off and keeping them stuck in one place. Mithos stepped up to the platform and spread his arms, fingertips glowing. "The seal must be broken temporarily..." he said, as the barrier around the sparkles began to break and fade into the floor.

Sendra stood a foot or so behind him, watching the sparklies, and the fading barrier. Once again wondering why she hadn't bothered with magic before now, not that she expected anything like this, but still...

The barrier faded totally and a large catlike creature jumped from out of the shadows, claws extended and ready to tear flesh from bone by the look of them. Calmly as ever, Mithos brought one hand across the air sharply and the cat-creature was slammed into the wall, knocked out cold. "I forgot about that thing..." he murmured.

She looked at the catthing. "Guard kitty, hm?" she shrugged lightly, returning attention to the sparklies.

He didn't respond as he stared at the sparklies, his voice once more taking on the commanding tone. "I call upon the Red Giant!" he called, his voice echoing slightly around the walls. "The Ruler of Hellfire! Efreet!"

The sparkles merged and grew, eventually coming to form a giant ... it wasn't easy to describe exactly what he was. Man, beast, flames? He turned his head downward and stared critically at Mithos and Sendra, saying nothing.

A smile curled on Sendra's lips, she looked up at Efreet, figuring it would be wise to stay quiet, she merely watched him. How fascinating...

Mithos nodded his head. "Efreet, I have come bearing one who wishes to learn of your might."

Efreet focused his eyes on Sendra. "One who wishes to learn? She is of your corrupted making. Should she not already know of the spirits?"

Mithos was silent for a moment, his face blank. When next he spoke, his voice was slightly colder. "She is a special case."

"Poor education in my younger years, I am hoping to regain knowledge lost." she said, admitting the fact that she was probably dumber than a child in the way of knowledge. She was streetwise, not book wise.

Mithos stepped aside as Efreet, after a moment of consideration, nodded. He swept an arm across the room and the low-burning torches burst with renewed flames. "What do you know of fire, girl?" he asked, taking in her appearance slowly.

"Hot, hard to control, damaging to most things depending on temperature." she replied, watching Efreet closely.

Efreet grumbled in some old and odd language as he stepped off the platform to tower over her. Waving his hand again, flames began dancing across the stone floor, blocking the door and just generally making the temperature skyrocket. They stayed decently far away from Mithos, though they danced up and around Efreet so they were rather near Sendra. "A limited knowledge." he grumbled. "Fire is a driving force for nearly all things. Humans burn coal to power their machines, and cook food over flames. They foolishly think they have harnessed the raw power of fire..."

She smiled lightly. "My father died in a fire, simply cooking and warming themselves is certainly not the extent of fire's power." she said, a slight glint to her eyes, that wasn't the firelight.

He grumbled again for a moment. "Fire is destruction. Entire villages, forests, cities can be destroyed in moments. However..." he waved his hand again and the flames grew higher but dulled in temperature, becoming more of a show then a firestorm. "In the wake of flames, things come anew. A wiped-out forest can grow to be twice what it once was. The remains of a village rebuilt in grandeur, honoring those lost in fire."

She nodded, fire was becoming more awesome by the moment. She watched the flames move, listening intently to Efreet over the crackle. As if he'd be hard to hear anyway o.O

"Fire, a killer and a renewer. To be feared and sacred; avoided yet utilized. Take care with flames, for they do not distinguish between friend and foe: you may find yourself burned." With that, the flames and Efreet vanished, fading back into the sparkles of light in the center of the platform.

Sendra nodded. "You're right about fire being addictive." she said to Mithos, a moment before turning around to face him. "Who next, then?"

Mithos didn't respond at once, having to put the seal back over Efreet. "Undine, I think." he said. "She would be best."

"Undine, controller of water, kept in-check by Volt." she nodded, reviewing her knowledge, and showing off just a little.

"Very good." he said, unsmiling as he extended a hand toward Sendra. "Shall we?"

She nodded, taking his hand and looking around the temple a moment before they faded off.

They faded back in, in the middle of a large cavern that was dark and damp. "...Under-shot." he said, looking perplexed. "Short walk, c'mon." he said, heading toward an opening in the cavern that light was streaming through.

She followed along behind him, alert in the dark out of reflex.

The darkness was no more as they stepped through the split in the rock, which turned out to be a very intricately-carved doorway. Now outside in something that looked much more befitting of a temple, Mithos descended a flight of stairs and walked through another door off to his right.

Sendra followed, looking around the area she was in now. She slipped her spear back into its sheath, it was bright enough, they'd have plenty of warning should they be attacked.

Mithos peered around in the bright light for a moment, before looking up at the platforms on the level above them. "...Not my day." he murmured."We need to go up, not down." he said, looking around for a staircase other then the one he had just descended.

"And once again Flying is out of the question." she assumed, she didn't see any other stairs that went up anyway. She half figured she could just climb up there from the pillars around the place, but she didn't quite trust that method.

He closed his eyes and stood there for a moment, silent and unmoving. A glimmer of something sparked just behind him, and a moment later a pair of glittering rainbow wings appeared. He opened one eye, looking cross and a might tired now. "I could fly but I doubt you could. It took a lot of effort to make my wings appear."

She looked up at the pillar, thinking a moment and looking around. She blinked a moment, a strange yellowish...blob was moving around a little ways off. It had green tentacles and looked rather unsettling. She stared at it a second. "I have an idea."

He flicked his wings and a shower of sparkles floated to the ground as he followed her gaze to the top of the pillar. "...A yellow roper." he muttered. "What's your idea?"

"Kill that thing over there, take its tentacles, they look easy enough to cut off anyway, and use it as a rope." she said "Unless we just want to look around for more stairs. :/ I prefer the first option, just more fun that way D"

He grinned properly for the first time since he had startled Sendra so badly in Earnia's mansion. "Shall we lure it down to where we are or should I just kill it from here?"  
"Oh, either. Assuming that killing it from here involves magic, I am rather eager to see more magic anyway. Yeah, why not. Snuffit. :D" she said, smiling in a strange, half innocent, half devilish way.

He smirked and cracked his neck, deciding how to kill the thing. After a moment of deliberation, he closed his eyes and began to glow lightly. After another few moments, the roper above them exploded in a massive show of flames, its charred remains landing some twenty feet away from them on the ground floor.

Sendra grinned brightly, clapping. "What a show, what a show." she said, skipping over to the roper, she took the head off of her spear and sliced off four or five tentacles. Grimacing lightly at the repulsive shade of yellow this thing was. It looked like semisolid urine with green things sprouting out. Ewww.

Mithos watched her work, his wings flicking of their own accord every now and again. "It was between fire and electricity. Water wouldn't really have killed it fast enough and earth would have broken up bits of the temple as well."

She was quick and efficient in tying the tentacles together, and within minutes was back with a coil of green rope. "It's a little slimy but I know I can get up it. If you fly up there and just hold on then I can get up as well." she said, dropping the coil to her side and tossing it to him lightly.

He caught the end of the rope she tossed to him and stared at it for a moment. "Can't I just tie it to something once I'm up there?" he muttered, flicking his wings quickly to become airborne. "I'll have to transform again if I'm gonna be able to hold you up and I'm not entirely sure if the temple will allow me to easily do so."

"Oh either. Just make sure it's secured. :P" she said, re-attaching her spearhead and sheathing it so it was out of the way.

He sighed, doubting weather he'd find something to tie the rope to anyway. He fluttered up to the platform and, naturally, there was nothing up there but a few more ropers (who all scurried out of sight) and scorched tiles on the floor. He sighed, concentrating again for a moment and switching forms. "You're lucky." he called, tugging on the rope and peering over the side of the balcony-thing. "It doesn't stop me from transforming."

She smiled, muttering. "Trust me, I'll repay the trouble eventually..." she said, though one could only give a vague guess on what the HELL she was talking about. She rubbed her hands together a moment and jumped up, grabbing the rope and using both her hands and feet to keep from sliding on it. She climbed fairly well and once she was remotely within reach of the balcony, she took the weight off Yggdrasill and jumped from the rope to the stone balcony, and pulled herself up easily.

He had no trouble whatsoever holding her up, and tossed the rope aside once she was safely on the balcony. Not bothering to transform again, he pointed to another shimmering spot on the ground just like in Efreet's temple. "I have to wonder why we get teleportation spots in Sylvarant, but nothing of the sort in Tethe'alla. I'll look into that..."

She shook her hair away and slid onto the shiny spot. "Shineyyy. :B" she said, attempting to poke the light before she actually teleported.

He sighed and stepped after her, materializing before the great temple to the water-spirit. Just as at the last temple, a slightly see-through barrier stood around the center of the platform, obscuring the usual sparkles from view.

Sendra looked around the temple, glancing at the seal.

He raised a hand and, after a moment, the seal dropped. Sparkling and shimmering, the mist moved about on the platform unlike the others, apparently glad to be free of the barrier. Yggdrasill watched it with narrowed eyes for a moment, and after a few seconds of silence, the mist stopped in the center of the platform and turned into a woman with blue skin and flowing robes. She looked down at the two of them, a curious expression on her face. Wondering vaguely why she appeared of her own will and not by a command, he raised his voice slightly. "Undine, maiden of the mists-"

She talked over him. "Mithos Yggdrasill... Pact-breaker. Why have you come here?"

Sendra smiled lightly, bowing her head. "He is ferrying me about so that I may regain lost years of education. I wish to know of your power." she said, answering for Mithos. This had become quite the fun field trip.

Undine turned her head to gaze at Sendra. "And if I refuse?" she asked shortly. Yggdrasill tensed, he hadn't expected Undine of all to refuse them. He had been surprised that Volt had obliged them, but Undine?

Sendra smiled lightly. "To refuse one must presumably have a reason. Would it be out of my place to ask what yours would be?" she said, folding her hands behind her back.

Undine looked away, staring at Yggdrasill, who remained expressionless. "You are here on his wishes. I want nothing to do with him."

Yggdrasill had to fight to keep his face neutral, a sense of both betrayal and, on some level, guilt rising.

She smiled a little. "Originally yes, it was his wish that I learn of the Summon Spirits, but it is now more than his wish alone. I crave knowledge, knowledge of you. Yes, I am here on his wishes, but I am also here on mine. Please, Undine, think of him as merely my transport, my key to the education I missed out on in my youth. Forgive me if I sounded long-winded, but my point still stands. He is not the one who wants to know of you, I do." she explained calmly, figuring that calling Mithos her "transport" would earn her a tough time at the next temple. Such is the sacrifice for knowledge. Oh well.

Undine considered for a few moments, staring into Yggdrasill's eyes for any hint of emotion. She apparently picked up nothing, for after a pause, she bowed her head. "As you wish." She waved a hand in the air before her and a great tidal wave grew out of thin air, crashing down with a deafening roar on the other side of the temple and spraying all three with a fair amount of water.

Sendra closed her eyes when the water hit her, but did not move and watched Undine with a smile on her face. Yay! She won over a Summon Spirit! 3

"My element is one that is often overlooked." she said, water rising in the temple so Sendra and Yggdrasill both stood in an ankle-deep lake. Whirlpools appeared in the water here and there, causing waves and ripples to mar the smooth surface of the water. "But one of the most deadly. To be caught at sea is the worst nightmare of many. Swallowed up by the depths and the unknown terrors that lay beneath."

Sendra nodded, thinking of the three times she chose to kill a man by drowning them. She remembered most every job she'd done, and could name them off in order from first to last. And yet she didn't know of the summon spirits until today. Ah well. Concentrate on Undine!

The whirlpools shifted direction and grew, swirling the would-be lake and churning it into what amounted to a rough sea. "Humans cannot live without water. All life depends on water to continue living. Do not take the oceans and rivers for granted, they may strike without warning one day." And with that, the water faded back into nothing, leaving the floor around the temple slightly slippery but otherwise unchanged. Undine bowed her head. "I believe I see an understanding in you."

"Thank you, Undine." she said, bowing back. She did understand a lot more about the elements they had visited thus far. Each one more spectacular than the last.

She nodded and, with one short glance at Yggdrasill, vanished back into the sparkles. Yggdrasill raised his arm and the barrier was thrown back over Undine's sparkliness, awaiting the next chosen to take a stab at the so-called world regeneration.

She stared into the sparklies and slid her foot on the wet floor for a moment, debating on whether or not to let Yggdrasill speak first. On the side wondering if he'd have anything to comment on what she said. She doubted he would take it that badly, but it was something to ponder.

"Well then," he said, turning to face her and crossing his arms in front of him, an unreadable expression on his face. It was halfway between stern, amused, and by some inexplicable third-half, annoyed. "Shall we visit Luna or the Sylph next?"

She looked over at him, expecting the stern, naturally not minding the amused, and the annoyed was not exactly out of character, but she did wonder why. Not being one to suppress her thoughts, she braved up and asked, "You sound slightly annoyed." she said simply "Any particular reason?"

"I hadn't expected Undine to resist." he said shortly. "But it's no matter, we got what we came here for." he extended a hand toward her, the feathers at his wrist glistening. "I think the Sylph will be more cooperative."

She nodded. "I am rather interested in them anyway." she said, taking his hand. She shook her hair away once and glared as one of her bangs flew back in her face. "I swear, one of these days I'm going to tie those back..."


	21. Sylph and Luna Almost

He smirked in spite of himself, his own bangs completely obscuring one eye. "The Sylph are concealed by many puzzles and traps," he said, as the familiar mist appeared. It vanished nearly at once and had placed them in the entranceway of a large, dark building, the distant sound of wind audible. "Be on your guard, and do try to avoid being impaled by spike traps..."

"Sounds like that would be a little inconvenient." she said, looking down the hallway in front of her. A silver place on the floor that practically SCREAMED "I'M A TRAP! 8D".

"Just a bit," he agreed, walking slowly forward and surveying the building. "I'll need to find a particular plaque on the wall before we can get through the door to the Sylph... Just to refresh my memory of the puzzle."

She nodded, following him and looking around the walls for anything plaque-like.

He wandered up a flight of stairs and started slightly as two spike-traps in the wall below him slammed together. He glared down at them as they slowly moved apart again, readying to slam together at the next sign of movement. "...Note to self: Don't go that way if avoidable. It likely isn't avoidable."

She followed him up the stairs, looking at the spikes when they slammed together, also a little startled but she wasn't as high as he was, not hearing them as well. She shrugged a little. "Well-timed run will get us through."

He nodded, scanning the walls around him. He approached a column that an unlit torch stood next to and examined it closely, running a hand over it before waving the other over the torch. Flames burst into life, illuminating the column and the writing on it. He ran his fingertips along the top line of letters, staring intently at them. "I hadn't realized these were still in the old language..." he muttered, tracing the groove of one particularly elaborate letter with his index finger. "I'll have to fix that..."

She was more interested in the torch for the moment. "Mithos... Making a fireball is the simplest magic, right?" she asked without looking away from the torch.

He twitched very slightly at his name, unused to being addressed by his first name in this form, but looked around at her all the same. "Yes. It usually takes the least concentration and power."

"Could you teach me, and I can light the next one, or would it be too difficult?" she asked, looking at him with an eager but sincere face.

He turned his back on the wall, considering. "Never too early to learn." he said after a moment, a slight smile forming as he raised a hand, palm-up. In the blink of an eye, a ball of pure flame appeared in his hand, quickly growing to the size of a basketball before vanishing as suddenly as it had appeared. "Elves are naturally able to use magic. It's quite literally in their blood. Concentrate hard enough and you'll find yourself able to summon fire to your hand as I did. Concentrate on emotions that make you angry, perhaps a time in your past that you wished yourself able to set something- or someone- ablaze."

She smiled lightly, but the smile looked a bit odd. She had the perfect thought for that. She held her hand up about waist high as he had, closing her eyes and picturing that...that MAN in her sight, grinning at her as he had before she wiped the smile from his face permanently. In an instant, the man in her sight burst into flame, she opened her eyes, and a fireball was in her hand, quite a bit smaller than the one Yggdrasill had made, but a fireball still.

He smiled lightly and nodded once. "Very good. Keep practicing, you'll be able to move onto other elements and kinds of spells in no time." he said, turning back to the wall and again tracing along a line of words with his hand. It was difficult to see in the dull and flickering light, but the letters seemed to be changing under his fingers, from a nearly-unrecognizable language to the common one used. "Out of curiosity, what did you picture in your mind to create that fire so quickly?"

She hesitated, biting her lip. She was quiet for a bit too long as he was fixing the wall. She gazed off at some point in space, looking like she'd forgotten the fact he'd asked and was lost in thought.

At around the fifth to last line he looked around, an eyebrow raised. "...Earth to Sendra," he said, forgetting the wall for a moment and waving a hand in front of her face. "I asked you a question, did you hear me at all?"

She snapped back to earth and stared at his hand, looking almost pale, she smiled weakly and swallowed. "I, ah..." she stuttered, gathering herself. "The one who got the best of me." she said quietly.

He lowered his hand, looking at her with an almost cute expression of slight surprise. After a slight pause, he nodded shortly and returned to the wall. "That's not a story I've heard yet. Perhaps you'll feel up to telling me at some point."

She looked a little shaken, memories being brought back. She shook her head and nodded. "Perhaps." she said, almost quieter than before.

He was silent as he finished fixing the wall, hopeful that it wouldn't trip up future Chosens or their companions. Having successfully refreshed himself on part of the puzzle, he stepped away from the column and moved around it, toward another torch in a nearby corner. He glanced over his shoulder as he did so; pausing to make sure Sendra was following.

She was, though she did look slightly distracted. She saw the torch and tore her mind from the past memories and merely conjured the image of the man again, burning, and she held her hand over the torch. It lit up a little slower than the fireball, but soon 'nuff the torch was blazing.

His eyes swept across this plaque and he was pleased to see his linking spell had worked, presumably all of the like plaques in the temple had been changed from the old language to the new one. He scanned it quickly and nodded to himself, turning to face Sendra. He paused again, noting how zoned-out she looked. Unsure of how to snap her out of it, he started walking toward the door, but stopped as a dull grinding noise could be heard. He stepped back quickly and just in time as another spike trap zoomed out from the wall, then slowly retreated into its hiding place once more.

Sendra cursed herself and snapped back to the present, staring at the spikes in the wall. "We going through here?" she asked, studying the wall.

He nodded. "I can get us through the puzzles now, the thing is getting to the puzzle to begin with..." he watched the wall, waving an arm swiftly before the trap and triggering it again.

Sendra looked at it, smiling. "Well this is obscenely easy." she pointed at the floor. "The thing is shoulder level, get down low enough and we can go through." she said, getting lower to the floor and looking over the wall. "I don't see anything down here that's harmful anyway."

"As I recall, there is another, faster trap right after this one." he said, narrowing his eyes at an odd-looking spot in the wall just before the door they were headed towards. "Then again it's been ... 3500 years or so since I've been here?... something like that." he smirked slightly. "Your plan is probably best."

She nodded, getting low enough so that she was at least ten inches lower than the trap would reach, and in a swift movement she was on the other side. Standing up and turning around to wait for him.

He transformed into his smaller form to make things simpler before ducking under the trap as she had. He shook his now much shorter hair out of his face as he stood up again next to her, trying to pinpoint the placement of the second trap on the wall.

Sendra unsheathed her spear simply, and held it over her head, the tassels on it dangling below. She lowered it and moved it, waiting for the trap to show itself. As soon as it did, she would drop her spear, letting it fall to the floor. It'd be quicker than trying to pull it up out of the way, just let Gravity do it.

The trap sprung, much quicker and stronger then the last, and faded back into the wall quicker then the others had as well. Mithos, who had jumped when the trap sprung out of surprise and automatically grabbed Sendra, let go again, his face slightly red out of embarrassment. Ashamed of himself for being so surprised at something he knew was coming.

Sendra blinked, she'd dropped her spear and on instinct of something grabbing her, she felt very strange without her weapon for an instant. She looked over at him, smiling lightly and disappearing under the trap, grabbing her spear and looking at him from the other side of it. He wasn't usually that jumpy, she thought.

He ducked under the trap as well and, without a word, walked right into the closed door. He stood there, silent and unmoving, before sighing heavily. "Please light the torches on either side of the door." he mumbled. "I forgot about those things..."

She nodded, standing a bit away from the door and instead holding both her hands out in the direction of the torches. "Might as well try..." she said, closing her eyes. This time that man was burning a bit more fiercely, and in a few moments the torches lit. Yes, that was the perfect thought. She smiled proudly at her work.

"Very good," he said, watching the door slide open to reveal a smallish room with five windmills, all of different colors. He stepped inside and glanced around, making sure there were no hiding monsters. Seeing nothing, he faced the windmills, thinking. "I wonder..." he said, "Think you're ready to try out a wind spell?"

She blinked a little, wondering what to think of for that. She brought the thought to her mind, once again having the perfect one. "Sure, like Fire only with more wind, I'd assume...?"

He grinned. "No. I want you to think of something that makes you laugh now. Something humorous. While most spells are used for attacking others, each stems more from a different emotion then anything. If you thought of something that angered you, no matter what happens in that memory or thought, you would still produce a fire spell."

She laughed a little. "That goes in with what I had in mind anyway..." she said, "Which fan?"

He pointed to the red one. "The world is a giant," he recited. "The ruby left hand is the throne of the gods." he pointed then to the green one. "Its emerald right hand is the power of gods," then to the white one, "Its crystal white left leg is the calm earth," and then to the yellow fan, "The topaz right leg is the rich earth..." He approached the center fan, the blue one. "And its lapis lazuli body is the blue wind princess."

He turned to face her, smiling. "The seal flows from the throne of the gods, to the rich earth, through the power of the gods and settles on the calm earth to gaze upon the blue wind princess. Can you solve it?"

She nodded lightly. "Red, yellow, green, white, blue." she said, nodding. It was pretty darn simple, anyway. She headed over to the red fan.  
He smiled and stepped aside, letting her take care of the fans. "I didn't think you'd have any trouble."

She went to each fan in turn, each time conjuring the same image. Her first thought was the first time she flew, but as amazing as that was, it didn't make her laugh. A much more fitting scene was when she was riding with Mithos on Brunt those first few days, he was absolutely hilarious. When she headed for the blue fan, she made a note to herself to force him to ride Brunt again. The blue fan started up quickly.

Mithos stood back and watched, grinning widely as the last fan kicked into life and the door slid open. "Very good!" he said, nodding and obviously pleased as he crossed the room and began ascending the stairs that led to the top of the building they were in.

She followed along behind. "I will have to take you riding again, Mithos. :D" she grinned. Back to herself, rather than before when she was half-zoned.

He paused on the steps, pointed ears turning slightly red before starting to climb again. "Over my dead body," he said shortly, pushing aside a stone that half-covered the exit and stepping out into the fresh air. He paused, looking west over the mountains at the sunset that was beginning and smiled very slightly before turning his attention toward the seal over the sparklies that were the Sylph.

She giggled. "You liked it, I know you did. :B I KNOOOOOOOOW you did." she said, grinning and standing behind-and-to-the-side of him.

He glanced over his shoulder at her, an evil glare in his eyes that sent the innocent-kid routine to hell. "No." he said simply. "Not with your demonic steering."

She giggled again. "As I remember it your fear was speed, not steering. I go in a straight line unless I have to. The forest we went through, I took some turns because, well, you can't go straight when a tree's in the way. :P" she laughed lightly. "Go on, summon the Sylph, I'll be quiet like a good girl. x3"

A slightly sour look on his face, he spread his arms and the barrier over the many sparklies vanished. There were at least three times the sparklies this time, and they zoomed around each other gleefully. "I call upon the Heavenly Messengers!" he called, and the sparklies froze. "Show yourselves, Sylph!"

The sparklies separated and turned into three fairies, one holding a gigantic sword, one wielding a bow, and one hidden behind a large shield.

The one with a sword spoke first. "Eh! Mithos! Been a while!"

The one with a bow spoke next. "Sephie! He's a pact-breaker, don't talk to him! D:"

The one with the shield peered out at her sisters from behind the wood. "Regardless, Yutis, he is still our master until a new summoner comes around."

The one with a sword, Sephie, sighed. "Summoning is a lost art, Fairess. We're stuck with him."

Sendra smiled a little, they seemed a bit more free-spirited than the past few they had visited. Sendra chose the "sit there and look cute-dumb and let him talk" approach. Maybe he'd forget she'd threatened him with riding Brunt with her afterwards. :D

The Sylph continued arguing amongst themselves, completely ignoring Sendra and Mithos.

"But Sephie!" Yutis said, waving her bow about. "He betrayed all of us, he's not worth our time!"

"Shut up, Yutis." Sephie said, rolling her eyes. "We have no choice, we might as well make the best of it."

Fairess lugged her shield into the air as she flapped her colorful wings, giggling in a melodic way. "He can be fun anyway! Remember the fight he gave us when he wanted to use our power? Never been beaten that badly by anyone before or since. 8D"

Mithos cleared his throat in an attempt to get their attention, but he was ignored by all three. Grumbling, he turned to Sendra. "Maybe they'll notice you. . "

Sendra laughed lightly. She cleared her throat. "Ah, excuse me, ladies, might I have a moment of your time..?" she spoke over the voices of the Sylph, hoping they'd notice that.

Sephie looked around, shouldering her massive sword. "Eh! I don't recognize you. Who're you then?" Yutis and Fairess fell silent, looking at Sendra with interest.

"A friend of Mithos. I don't know what he did, but I am here to learn of you, he is here because I wouldn't be without him. It's high time I made up for years lost. May I ask the knowledge of the wind?" she said, raising her head and watching the Sylph with as much interest as they looked at her.

Yutis perked up, fluttering her own wings now and zooming over to Sendra. Hovering several feet above her head, she beamed. "I don't see why not. Ready girls?" The other two giggled and zoomed off in opposite directions, and at once, a gale-force wind blew across the temple, blowing Mithos's hair and cape around wildly. He closed both eyes and held his cape close, unable to hear anything over the roar of the wind.

Sendra reached behind her and slipped the loose ribbon from her hair, letting it fly. Better than it being tugged in the ponytail in the wind. She had very little on her to flap about like a cape, but the tassles on her spear did whip around behind her.

The wind slowly died down, and Sephie zoomed about to hover in front of Sendra's face, her sword held in both hands now and its tip barely grazing the stone floor at Sendra's feet. The smallish fairy grinned widely. "Lots of people like wind, but it's a devastating force. Homes, forests, entire villages can be ripped to shreds by a single gust of wind" she hiked her sword back over her shoulder and flew upward as another gust blew across the temple, blowing in the opposite direction this time.

Sendra's sheath was caught by the wind a bit this time, but she reached her arm and held on to it, closing her eyes to the wind for a moment. It did feel good, but she agreed that it could cause much destruction if powerful enough. Like all elements.

The wind shifted and gained in ferocity for a moment before dying off. Fairess replaced Sephie now, the shield that was larger then she was dangling off one arm. She beamed widely. "Using the power of wind against your enemy is a wise thing to do, for you can not only catch them off-guard but you can deafen them with the howling of the wind. You might even be able to blow them right over!"

"Or away." Sendra added, before Fairess managed to fly away again.

Yutis replaced Fairess this time, landing on the ground rather then hovering at Sendra's eye-level. She waved her bow around a bit, and then shot an arrow of energy directly upward into the sky. At once, a great blast of wind swept across the temple in yet another new direction, this one more of a piercing wind that chilled the very bones of those it passed over. Mithos clutched his cape around him tighter on instinct, knowing the capabilities of the Sylph. He rather enjoyed _not_ being cut to shreds.

"The smaller the area the wind is bring forced through, the stronger it is," Yutis said in her tinkling-bell of a voice. "Channel your power through a small enough space, you can slice an enemy in two" she giggled and took flight, bonking Sendra lightly on the head with her bow before rejoining her sisters on the platform.

Sendra shifted a foot behind her to help her hold her balance in the wind, and smiled as the Sylph returned to their platform. "An inspiring lesson." she said simply.  
All three fairies beamed at her, then Sephie turned to Mithos. "Is that all you needed?"

He nodded, still righting himself after that little show. The Sylph all giggled and bowed, before turning back into the familiar sparkles.

Sendra smiled. "They were interesting. Gnome was still awesomer, though. :B"

"Don't let them hear you say that," he said, raising the barrier over the sparkles again. "Or at least not Sephie." he amended, shaking his head to right his still very windswept hair. "To Luna. I really hope Aska's not out flying around again, we won't have a ghost of a chance of getting Luna to talk if Aska isn't there..."

Sendra put the ribbon back in her hair, loose as ever. She wasn't quite sure why she never bothered to tie it tighter...or tie her bangs in it. It just wasn't...her. She shrugged a little, and held out her hand to Mithos. "To Luna! D"

He took her hand and the mist appeared again, and they materialized at the foot of a tall tower. He glared up at it. "...Damn. Still anti-teleportation spells on this thing." he murmured, walking up to the door and using magic to unlock it. "This place is a supreme pain..."

Sendra looked at the tower. "It's a welcome change to dungeons and the like." she said. When the door was unlocked, she followed him into the tower. The room they entered into had bookshelves upon bookshelves lining the walls, with two doors on the other side of it. On the floor, there were three blue circles.

"Ugh, I remember this..." he murmured, staring at the circles on the floor. "Something regarding putting weight on the circles to open the doors... I wonder if we can just force the doors open. . "

"If not, we can just pile books on them." she said, looking around the walls "There's clearly enough of them anyway."

"Let's just do that." he said. "Simpler and less draining. I'm still kind of tired from having to fly in Undine's temple..." he wandered over to one of the bookshelves and grabbed books at random, as many as he could carry.

Sendra did the same from a different bookcase. She tried to pick up the heavier, thicker books first in the hope of having to carry fewer.

Mithos piled the books he had collected on one of the circles and went for another bookcase to grab a few more for another circle. "As I recall we'll get to have some fun with mirrors as well..." he murmured, annoyed. "I wonder how many times I'm going to be blinded this time. Then again, you're not Yuan..."

"If Luna does anything like everyone else did, then we'll get blinded in the end anyway." she said, setting some of the heavier books on one of the circles.

He smirked. "True enough..." he said, placing more books on the last circle and having the door open a few inches. "...Needs more weight on at least one circle..."

Sendra picked up a particularly thick book and set it on one of the circles and watching the door. "If it doesn't open I'll just move it. x3"

The door opened enough for the two of them to get through it at any rate, though not completely open. "Good enough for me." he said, shrugging and heading through it.

Sendra followed along behind him, looking about the room they were in. The room was large, and a red curtain was in one corner. A few large, white spheres were around the room, along with blocks that had mirrors facing different angles. A very faint blue light shone from a floor above, indicating the teleport...thing. Much too high up for even Yggdrasill to try and fly.

Mithos looked around and grumbled. "This will be fun." he said shortly, walking over to one of the spheres and squinting at it.

Sendra looked around, mind already working. Since this was the light temple they probably had to do something with light, mirrors reflect light. Now just...what to do...

Mithos sighed, walking over to the curtain and standing beside it, facing away. "I'd avoid the mirrors and looking directly into the spheres for a moment," he said, raising a hand and grabbing the curtain. "...Magical curtain. I could have sworn I burned it to ashes /last/ time I was here..."

Sendra smiled lightly. "Magic is magic, after all." she said, holding her hand over her eyes and watching him through her fingers.

He had no reply to that, merely looked away as the curtain went up in flames. A bright, blinding light was revealed at once and it streamed across the room, hitting one of the spheres and then a mirror, though the light was then reflected at nothing more then the wall on the far side of the room.

Sendra took her hand away slowly, letting her eyes adjust. She looked at the mirror blocks and the spheres. The one the light hit was now shining and sparkling.

"Arrange the mirrors so the light hits all of the spheres." he said, walking over to a mirror and setting his hands on his hips. "It's amazing how much these things have moved in as many years as it's been..."

Sendra looked the mirrors over, solving the puzzle in a moment or two, she pushed the mirrors to where they went. She had no trouble with it; she'd always liked puzzles like this.

Mithos stood back and watched, not minding letting her do the puzzling. Yuan and Kratos had figured it out last time, though through much experimenting and inadvertent blinding of each other.

Sendra did resist the urge to set it up to blind him. But that was too mean, even for her. As if making him ride Brunt wasn't. :D Soon enough all the spheres were lit, and a gold, sparkly staircase appeared leading up to the higher floors, right to the faint blue shine. She turned around to face Mithos. "Done! x"

He smiled, impressed. "Not bad. You're good with puzzles, I see." he said, heading toward the staircase. "It would have taken me a bit more time to get it right..."

"It's simple enough, just have to know the angle of the mirrors. I've solved ones harder than that." she said, being closer to the staircase, she headed up it.

He caught up with her by skipping a couple stairs with a jump and looked over his shoulder at the puzzle. "It must reset itself after a period of time has passed... Or maybe Luna moves the spheres around whenever she's bored and tries to solve her own puzzle."

"If she, as you say, doesn't do much without Aska, I'd get bored and mess with it, too." she said when they were at the top of the stairs.  
Mithos wandered toward the next staircase, looking around at the temple hall. "This place is larger then I remember..." he said wonderingly. "I must not have been paying much attention last time."

She smiled. "It's pretty, though." she said, looking at the light reflecting puzzle from above.

He studied the ceiling as he climbed the stairs, the light shining up through the room causing interesting shapes and shadows to appear. "I'm forced to agree with you on that one." he said after a few moments, smiling.

She looked back at him with an eyebrow raised, shrugging a little and quickening her pace up the stairs.

He glanced toward the nearing teleporty-thing, only another floor up now. "I do hope Luna will feel up to talking without Aska around, he is unlikely to be here right now and I don't feel like waiting for him to show up..."

"Where would he be, if he isn't here?" she asked, taking two steps at a time until she was up on the floor with the teleporter.

He didn't answer until he was on the floor with the teleporty thingy as well, choosing not to walk quite as quickly as she did. "No way of knowing. He wanders Sylvarant, never in one place for long." he said, sighing. "I've got a way of summoning him here but he'll know it's not an urgent matter and won't come at once."

Sendra nodded lightly, "To Luna, then." she said, stepping onto the teleporter.

He followed her and, once outside in the now dark twilight, approached Luna's altar. He lowered the barrier over her and the sparkles swirled and twisted. Luna, like Undine, showed herself without a command. A pretty woman with long, flowing hair who reclined on a half-moon, Luna looked at Mithos with a blank look on her face. "Mithos, the summoner. Where is Aska?"

Mithos hung his head, knowing that would be the first thing out of her mouth. "He isn't here, I don't know where he is. Would it be possible for you to speak to us without him?"

Sendra smiled lightly, bowing her head to Luna and standing behind Mithos as usual. Prepared for another speech if Luna would clam up.

Luna shook her graceful head. "I do not speak without Aska. He is my partner and I form no pacts and speak no oaths without him."

Mithos sighed. "Very well, then..." he said, turning and walking toward the edge of the tower. He gave Sendra a look that said "Try as you did with Undine," as he passed, but he didn't look convinced it would work.

Sendra looked at her shoes a moment before looking Luna straight in the eye. "It is not a pact or oath I am here for. I am only here to regain lost knowledge. Many young children today would know more of you than I would, and this shames me so. All that I ask is knowledge of Light, and who better to go to than you, Luna?"

Luna considered her for a few long moments. "Thine quest is noble and commendable." she said, inclining her head. "But I am merely half of Light. I do not speak without Aska."

Mithos sighed from the far side of the tower roof, gazing out across the dark landscape before him. He seemed to be holding something in his hands, but it was impossible to tell what it was. "Might as well make yourself comfortable, Sendra." he said, shifting slightly. "No telling how long Aska will be. Surely not more then an hour..."

Sendra bowed her head again to Luna, and walked over near Mithos. "At least we can wait here, where there's a good view..."


	22. Magic, and History

Mithos nodded vaguely, shifting what he held in his hands again. It was a pan-flute, intricately carved and detailed from what looked like the nut of a tree. He began to play it, the low and calm notes seeming to weave into the air itself, a beautiful melody carried across the winds. Almost sounded as chimes or bells, delicate and at the same time, striking.

Sendra leaned on the railing-type thing around the roof of the tower; she had been looking at the scenery around the tower. When she heard the music, she closed her eyes, loosening up a little and letting herself be calm. It was rather peaceful up here.

Luna faded back into the sparklies as Mithos's song ended, and he turned his back on the landscape, sliding down the railing to sit on the floor. He quietly examined the pan-flute in his hands, despite having done so many times before. He knew every carving and scratch in the wood by heart by now...

Sendra's head lowered into her arms, breathing in a moment. "That was beautiful. It's what summons Aska, I'd assume?" she asked, slightly muffled from her head being in her arms.

"Yes," he said quietly. "A flute carved from the nut of a special tree, a tree long believed dead..." he sighed, setting the flute in his lap and closing his eyes. "This was Martel's flute."

She picked her head up, looking over at him. She stepped away from the railing and moved over to sit next to him. "Feel happy you had a sibling, Mithos."

He opened his eyes and looked at her, emotionless. "_Have_ a sibling." he corrected. "Martel is still alive, just... unable to move or speak." he nodded to the crystal on her collarbone. "An angel can never truly die until their crystal is destroyed."

She smiled a little. "True... Still. Be happy you have a sibling. I grew up alone." she said, licking her lips and staring at her boots.

"That must have been difficult," he muttered. "It was hard enough with just Martel, then Yuan and Kratos..."

She smiled lightly. "Brunt was my first and only friend. He never cared what I was. My employer didn't either, but he was hardly a friend, just the man who paid me."

Mithos nodded. "We're cursed from birth for being what we are..." he narrowed his eyes slightly, staring into space. "Not many wish to be acquainted with a half-elf."

She nodded. "Even if we share blood with them." she looked up at the sky. "Thank you, Mithos."

"...For what?" he asked, looking at her with a somewhat puzzled look on his face.

She laughed. "Taking me through this. I couldn't have learned as much as I have without you."

He nodded. "It's information you need to have to function within Cruxis, after all. I'm not cruel enough to let you loose in Derris-Kharlan without giving you something to work with."

"Indeed... I didn't know what a Summon Spirit was until you told me." she shook her hair out of her face and ran the tassels on her spear through her fingers.

"Nor did you have the ability to control the magic that flows through your blood." he said, waving a hand about lazily and creating a flow of fire to momentarily follow his fingertips.

She snorted. "If we're going to list off the things I couldn't do before I met you, we'll be talking still when Aska gets here. :P"

He smiled vaguely. "You're sure about that? You seemed perfectly capable of taking care of yourself before we met."

"Taking care of myself was easy enough." she smiled. "I couldn't fly, teleport, cast magic. I didn't know of the summon spirits, had no idea there were two worlds... x3 You'd be surprised how ignorant I was of the world around me."

"Most that live in the worlds have no idea of the other world. I take great care to keep it that way," he said, voice darkening very slightly. "With the exception of a general knowledge of the spirits and perhaps of magic, you were no different from any other in Sylvarant."

"Still though. I am grateful for this." she turned to look at him. "Does every Cruxis angel get special attention like this? x3"

"Not in the slightest." he said dully. "You're a special case though, as I don't usually directly run into anyone who ends up an angel." he looked at her again levelly. "I'm glad I did though, thanks to you I was able to locate a massive flaw in the delicate control I've placed over the mana line. Now I just have to find a way to fix it."

"Mm, explain this flaw to me again?" she asked. She'd forgotten if he had explained it already or not, too focused on the current trip.

"Not one that can be put into simple words." he said, closing his eyes in a tired sort of way. "In essence, the church places not enough and - at the same time - too much control. A medium needs to be found to avoid people like your grandfather who ducks out of the system."

"Mm... :/ Sounds difficult." she said, shrugging lightly. She giggled a little, her memory going back to when she'd bit Yuan... She wasn't sure why, but it was a welcome memory. :D

"What's so funny?" he asked, eyes still closed. It was clear now just how drained he was from the water temple.

"My mind is a very strange thing. Just remembering when I bit Yuan. Not sure what prompted it, but I don't mind the memory." she looked at him, tilting her head to the side "You all right?"

"Just tired." he said, sighing lightly. "Despite being unable to sleep, it's still possible to become so tired you feel like you could drop dead-asleep at any moment."

She nodded. "The water temple, I'd assume, then. Anything I can do to help:/ I feel partly responsible."

He shook his head. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine with a bit of rest. This is the last temple anyway, we can return to Derris-Kharlan once Aska returns and you get a taste of light."

She nodded. "Any plans for after that:B" she asked.

He considered for a moment. "Not really. My plans do however include _not_ going horseback riding."

"Awwww." she mock-whined at him.

He smiled slightly, shifting into a slightly more comfortable position. "You might catch me bored enough at one point to brave it again. Not any time in the foreseeable future, however."

She laughed lightly. "I'll let you drive until you're not scared anymore." she laughed lightly. Oooh she was asking for it. :B

It was probably lucky for Sendra that he was tired, for all he did in reply was open one eye and glare at her. Once again, his adorable-kid routine vanishing completely due to the look in his eye.

Sendra shook her head a little, obviously fighting a giggle. "It's rather often that the emotion one tries to communicate to another with a facial expression is completely lost in the translation and makes just the opposite." she grinned.

He closed his eye again and growled. "You're pushing your luck, Sendra." he said simply. "As long as you wear that crystal I am still, for lack of a better term, your Lord. It is not wise to push me."

She shook her head again. "Oh, I know that. I also know that you'll probably be alive for many more years, as will I. No matter how good your memory is, ones like this are doubtful to last very long." she said, leaning against the railing again and laying her arms across her knees.

"You'd be surprised." he said shortly, absently tracing a carving on the flute with his pinky.

She smiled. "Even if you remember them, they're likely to not matter much." she said, standing. "Sorry, got to do this every once and a while." she stretched out, various joints cracking when she bent on one knee and let her other leg stretch behind her. She leaned back as far as she could in that position, and more joints cracked.

He opened his eyes and watched her, silent but smiling slightly. "Perhaps you'd be willing to practice conjuring other forms of magic while we wait for Aska?" he said after a couple minutes, sitting up straighter and tucking Martel's flute back into his belt.

She stood back up and did the same but switching sides. "Sure, might as well." she said, as yet a few more joints cracked and she stood up again. "Jeez that feels good..."

He smiled again, standing and waving his arm. Across the roof they were on, straw dummies with wooden swords and shields appeared in various places, each immobile, with frowning expressions on their faces. They creaked slightly in the wind, looking almost comical. "You know how to use and control two elements. "Destroy one dummy with fire, and one with wind. You'll learn how to conjure the others after you manage that." he said, flicking his wrist. Each dummy raised its shield, each faintly glowing a different color.

Sendra nodded, cracking her knuckles now, and she closed her eyes and there _he_ was again, and then he was up in a roaring flame. :D When she opened her eyes, as was the dummy. That was pretty easy.

Mithos nodded, not surprised she had managed that so simply. It was a _straw_ dummy, after all. "Very good. Now, for the next one, I want you to actually tear it apart, not just blow it over."

She nodded, it ought to be easy enough to try and channel the wind through an invisible barrier. Muttering to herself. "Let's go, Brunt...:" she said, grinning. Oh, how funny Mithos's face was D. A ripping sound signaled her that at least something happened.

Mithos, though annoyed at her choice of vision, was nonetheless pleased at the results. Straw blew across the sky in the wind now as the torn-up dummy had been sliced in two. "Very good indeed. Now..." he motioned to a new dummy, "I want you to try an earth spell. No earthquakes or anything, a simple rock smacking the dummy over will suffice. Your emotion will be calmness. Anything calm, placid."

She nodded, thinking back. Sadly very little in her life was calm, but she found a memory that would work. It was hard for her to think something without a memory to go with it anyway. She breathed in deeply and she caught her memory. Another one of riding on Brunt at top-speed. The speed was calming for her. A rock sped out of nowhere and knocked the dummy in the head. Another ripping noise showed that the rock had in fact gone through its head as well as knocking it over. Woot:o

"Impressive." he said, blinking and waving straw away from his hair. "I hadn't expected you to be able to do it that effectively..." he waved a hand and a dummy wandered up from the edge of the roof, standing still some ten feet from Sendra. "Lightning next! A bolt falling from the sky, knocking the enemy out cold. I want you to think of something exciting, exhilarating, and channel it as you've done before."

She laughed, that one was easy. Flight! Within a few moments, lightning cracked down on the dummy. She wondered a moment if women were more effective in magic than men, since they tend to have more emotion...Hmm.

He smiled and nodded. "I didn't think you would have a problem with that one." he said, calling another dummy over. "Let's see how you control water, then. A flood to wash them away, and something that makes or made you feel surprised. An odd one, I know.

She nodded; it was rather odd. Though again, another one she could come up with in a few moments. Again, it had to do with _him_. She closed her eyes again, and a decent sized wave came out of nowhere, the dummy was washed over the side of the Tower.

Once again, Mithos was surprised at her quick ability. "I suppose I should stop expecting you to fail your first attempt at any task I set you." he said, smiling slightly and calling yet another dummy forth. "Ice! Impale them with icicles; give me desire. Knowing Celsius holds reign over ice, desire shouldn't be a surprise."

Sendra nodded, desire huh? Well that one was difficult. :/ It took her a minute or two to come up with the right thing. She closed her eyes and the dummy was bombarded with icicles. She opened her eyes and, to her surprise, one of the icicles went through the dummy in the worst place possible, as long as the dummy was male, anyway. She laughed lightly. "Err...I wasn't aiming with that. oo"

He chuckled and the dummy vanished. "You must have picked an interesting choice in memory." he said simply, calling forth another dummy. "Now... Light and dark. They work differently. Allow me to show you." he raised a hand and the dummy was momentarily surrounded by several hundred strands of light, before the light contracted together and destroyed the dummy. "While polar opposites, dark and light work the same way. Confusing your opponent, and when that isn't possible, confining them. I want a happy memory from you, the happiest thing you can think of. Constrict the dummy with light as I did."

She nodded a little. Happy... Simple enough. She breathed in deeply and concentrated, and, while it wasn't near as powerful as Mithos's spell, the dummy was destroyed in a minute or so.

He nodded, beckoning the last dummy forward. "And... dark. Same principle. Totally different feeling." he looked at her levelly for a few moments. "...I want fear. Something that truly unnerves you. The stronger the feeling, the stronger the spell, as with the rest. Darkness is a widely unpracticed spell because of this, though the more you practice with it, the less you need to think on your emotions. It becomes second-nature after a while."

She nodded; this one was as easy as fire. That fact scared her almost as much as the memory she had. The man wasn't involved here quite yet, but that _room_ was. The falsely bright and happy colors. She shuddered a little, that room was never a happy place. She closed her eyes again, and very quickly, and much more powerful than the light spell, the dummy was destroyed.

He nodded. "Very good." he said, watching straw blow around the rooftop. "We'll begin going through drills every now and then with those thoughts you just used. See how fast you can switch between them."

She nodded, once again feeling slightly zoned after recalling memories from that time in her life. She moved back over to where she'd been sitting before and leaned on the railing again.

He was silent for a few moments. "I noticed that you were more proficient with the dark spell then the light," he said offhandedly. "I would have expected the other way around from you."

She smiled a little. "It's because for me, emotions of happiness are spread out over my life, many happy memories, and few are happier than others. But...fear..." she shuddered. "Less often, more pronounced."

He crossed the rooftop and stood next to her, looking at her curiously. "Understandable. In time you'll be able to even your spells out though, the more you use them... the less you need your memories."

She smiled a bit. "That's just as well... All the more reason to practice." she said, shaking her head a bit.

He was silent for a few moments, thinking. "Out of curiosity..." he said, in a quiet and oddly delicate voice. "And I suppose you don't have to answer if you don't feel like it, but... what is it that could scare you that much? I've never seen a darkness spell come so easily from someone who seems so carefree."

She took a moment to answer. "You remember, in the wind temple, when I seemed...not there for a moment?" she asked, looking over at him without turning her head much.

"After you recalled a memory for flame," he said, nodding. "So your fear and fury are connected, I assume?"

"Very much so." she nodded. "Do you remember what I said back there, when you asked me then what I had thought of for the fire spell?"

He nodded. "The one who got the better of you." he said simply, wondering who that was and what the devil they did to get Sendra so riled up.

She nodded. "Well, this man... I'm afraid I've blocked his name from my memory, if I ever knew it in the first place... Anyway. He'd figured out that one of his colleagues had it in for him, and before I even got to the town he lived in, he had figured out who I was, what I looked like, ways I usually went about my job... Well, when I'd actually gone to do him in, you can imagine my surprise when two of his thugs grabbed me from behind." she shook her head. "When he was in front of me, he had this...look... on his face." she shuddered. "The look that told me I'd been caught. I wasn't near as strong as I am now back then, and the shock of being caught, I couldn't fight. Everything went dark then. Whether I'd been knocked out or I just blacked out, I don't know..." she paused, as this was a semi-long story, she let him take that in before continuing. She used that time to gather the courage. She trusted him enough with this, the first person she had told, besides Brunt.

He nodded, watching her closely. He decided to remain silent, allowing her to continue uninterrupted for the moment.

She sighed heavily. "When I woke up, I was in this room. The walls were stone, but it was decorated in reds, yellows...falsely happy colors. The thing that scared me the most was when I woke up...well... I'll just say I had to fashion a toga out of the sheets." she shuddered a little. "I don't know what they'd done at that moment, but it isn't hard to figure out. I was there a month. The man I'd been sent to kill came in every day. He would bring a tray of food, which I ate, it was never poisoned..." she swallowed. "You'll be an imbecile if I have to explain exactly why he was keeping me there and not killing me."

He stared at the dark stones that made up the floor a little way away, a blank look in his eyes. After a slight pause, he asked in an oddly hollow voice, "How did you get out?"

"Every day there was the same. I'd try to hide when I heard him coming, but there were so few places to hide. Then I'd fight, but I grew weaker every day, and it never worked. Every day I was crushed, it was as simple as that. And every day, as he left, he still had that damn look. The night before I left, he made a mistake of telling me..." she drew a breath, "Telling me 'all this bloody half-elf was worth' before he left, still that look on his face. That look is what fueled me, it angered me, strengthened me. The next day I broke the wardrobe in the room, took one of the splintered pieces of wood, and when he came in, he just laughed at me. He thought I was still weak. He never looked at me that way again. I left him there, recovered my clothes and spear, and left."

He was silent for a time, drinking in her story, still a blank look in his eyes. "Quite... an ordeal," he said simply. "I'm sure that's an understatement, but no words could properly describe the horror you must have been through..."

"Which is why my fire and darkness spells are more prominent." she said, looking over at him. "That month was one of two times I have been so scared and so angry in my entire life. The first time was when my mother was killed. The rest of my life has been reasonably happy." she smiled. "For that I am grateful."

He nodded. "My flame and darkness magics took a leap head and shoulders over my other skills at one point, as well..." he said quietly. He closed his eyes for a moment, before taking a deep breath and opening them again. "But it's rare I need to bring up memories or real feelings anymore... I've had over three thousand years to hone my skill, after all."

Sendra nodded a little, sighing. "I'm sure I'll get over it eventually. That was ten years ago." she said, turning around and leaning back on the railing.

"I would assume that man is no longer alive?" he asked, a spark of mischief behind his eyes now. "Should you have let him live, perhaps a bit of divine judgment is in order..."

She looked over at him, thinking a moment. "I was focused on getting out, stabbed him with the bit of wood, but I have no idea where, I just left. I've no idea if he's still alive." she paused. "If he is, he'd be staying in the same house, though. In the information I got on him, it said that the mansion's been in his family for years."

He shifted slightly, attempting to fight the devious look on his face and failing. "Do you know where in Sylvarant said mansion is?"

"I could find it easily." she looked over at him, her face slightly less devious than his was, if only slightly. "It won't be easy for me. But it would be worth it..."

"One more question," he said, looking at her sideways, eyes alight with some malicious emotion that was difficult to pinpoint. "Are you aware weather he is a follower of Martel or not? While non-followers are few and far-between, it's something I would like to know."

She blinked. "I'm not entirely sure. That room was the only place I saw of his house that I paid attention for. It was hard not to. . " she shrugged a little.

"We can only hope he is," he said quietly, a wicked grin crossing his childish face. "It will make it all the better." In the distance, carried by the wind, the distant flapping of wings could be heard...


	23. Sendra of the Elements

Sendra looked up, blinking. "Y'hear that? I think Aska's returned." she said, standing straighter.

"Indeed," Mithos said, stretching his arms out with a slight groan and crossing the roof to wait before Luna's shrine. Within five minutes, the great form of Aska was visible, and a few seconds later, there was a huge thud that shook the tower as the massive two-headed bird landed beside Luna's shrine. He turned both elegant, feathered heads toward Mithos and, in an ethereal voice that sounded in the air itself, spoke. 'You called, Mithos the Summoner?'

Sendra let him talk, still recovering a little from recalling that horrid month of her life.

He nodded, voice and expression calm. "This young lady who accompanies me wishes to know of Light," he said, gesturing toward Sendra. "And Luna, being only half of light, refused to speak of your element without you, Aska."

As if on command, Luna materialized again, looking happily at Aska. "You've returned!" she said gleefully. "Welcome back, Aska."

Sendra smiled a little, well she looked happier at least. She crossed her arms and watched the two of them.

Aska brought his two heads down and touched Luna's outstretched hand with one beak, and a blinding flash of light erupted from the point the two touched. Mithos, having thrown his arms in front of his face just before the light appeared, braced himself against the rush of light and energy that was about to unleash.

'You will get your request, one who seeks Light.' Aska's voice spoke, and when the light cleared, neither Aska nor Luna were visible.

Sendra narrowed her eyes to the light, nearly closing them but she was determined to keep her eyes open.

Aska appeared before Sendra in another flash of light, and he bowed both majestic heads to her. 'One who seeks Light, I sense that this is the last temple for you to have visited. You have gained much knowledge in a short amount of time, and are commendable for your quest. Light is perhaps the most underestimated element...' Another blinding flash of light and a rush of wind as Aska took flight passed, trailing a flow of pure light from his wings, making the dead of night seem like noon.

She watched him, her eyes still narrowed lightly just incase another blinding flash should happen.

The light vanished from his wings and Luna appeared before Sendra, floating on her half-moon as usual. She twirled her staff around and light appeared again, flowing from and around her staff. "Light is blinding. Light is heat. Light is hope. Those with pure hearts control light, and light has many properties and uses. Bind thine foe with ropes of energy, blind them to your actions, summon a sword of light to strike thine enemies down. Else, help thine allies with the healing forces light can bring. Limitless as the user's mind."

Sendra nodded, she hadn't thought of healing properties... Hm.

The light from Luna's staff radiated out across the floor Mithos and Sendra stood on, enveloping them in its warm glow. Mithos looked down at the light, feeling all the weariness from having to summon his wings in the Water temple vanishing. Luna twirled her staff again and the light vanished, before she bowed her head and vanished as well. Aska cried musically from the distance, a burst of light visible from over a mountaintop. His voice rang out across the tower. 'Use your knowledge well, Sendra of Elements.'

Sendra smiled warmly, not feeling quite as zoned as before. She raised her head and looked over at Mithos. "Well, that was a fun field trip."

Mithos was staring at the place where Aska's light had just faded from. "...Interesting. A moniker like that is usually something one would give to oneself." he said, amused. He looked at her. "Like your new nickname?"

She blushed lightly. "Sendra of Elements. For someone who didn't know magic yesterday, it is an interesting title." she smiled. "I like it."

He smirked, walking over closer to her. "I think it fits. You just got a crash-course in each element and learned firsthand the abilities of each within the span of fourteen hours or so."

She laughed a little. "And I can remember each as well as the next." she unsheathed her spear and studied the tip of it, making a note that it would have to be sharpened before they paid _him_ a visit... Maybe she'll use some of her newfound talents as well. After all, it would be fitting for him to be killed by the spells he helps her conjure, anyway.

"Now, I'll assume you need time to locate the manor we're planning on visiting," he said, extending a hand to her. "We'll return to Derris-Kharlan in the meantime. I've got maps more detailed then you could possibly dream of that you can peruse at your leisure."

She grinned at him, a grin that would scare most men out of their wits just wondering what was going through her mind. "Maps...yes, I can retrace my route from the town I worked out of..." she twirled her spear in her hand and sheathed it. "Shall I teleport or you?"

"I'd feel safer if I was the one who teleported." he said lightly. "Ending up in deep space isn't desirable."

She nodded, it probably would be the best. She had made it back to Derris-Kharlan on her own, but with someone else is another matter. It was a second nature by now for her to reach out for his hand after today, and thusly, she did.

The mist appeared and, after a moment, was gone. Leaving the solid ground behind completely, they now stood in one of the many, many rooms within Vinheim, the castle of Derris-Kharlan, the room lined with bookshelves. This one seemed a bit more remote then most of the rooms, and as Mithos stepped away from Sendra he waved an arm lazily and a desk nearby jumped slightly as every drawer on it opened of their own accord. "You'll find everything you'd need in that desk," he said lazily, flopping down on one of the luxurious couches that littered the large room. "I have several things to check on but I rather want to see what happens to this place if I'm not around for more then a day. See how Yuan and Kratos handle things."

Sendra went over to the desk, set her spear down, and immediately started pouring over a Sylvarant map. "By the way, is there somewhere up here I could sharpen my spear? It's dulled a bit, and I want it ready..." she said while tracing an invisible route, finding familiar places.

He opened one eye, thinking. "I have no idea. There's likely an armory within Welgaia that would suffice but I know very little about the inner structure of the city. You'll need a lower-class angel to show you around."

She nodded a little. "I'll find somewhere..." she said, looking over the map. "I know that his mansion wasn't actually in a town, but about a mile or two outside it...country place."

He shifted, closing both eyes again. "There should be a map somewhere in there with every anomaly like that marked. I've probably poured over the map and seen the mansion you speak of a hundred times but never paid any attention to it as it wasn't what I was focused on."

She shifted to a different map. "I never would have thought him alive, tried not to think about it." she laughed a little. "Now I'm getting excited about this. It's like being at work again."

He smiled, chuckling. "You'll have the opportunity to do this a lot more often I think. Those damn Renegades that so nicely manage to thwart my plans before I have a way to get them into action are really starting to annoy me."

She looked up, that scary looking smile on her face again. "Oh goodie..." she said, obviously excited about that too.

He chuckled again, sitting up straight and looking over at her. "You take far too much pleasure in the killing of others. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not." he stood up, transforming as he walked and leaning over the map from a much greater height then before. "But I can tell already that it will be most beneficial."

She smiled lightly. "I am not completely merciless. Only those who I see fit to die will die." she looked up at him. "And you know my terms here, I take orders from those I respect, mainly you. Whoever you see fit to die, I will." she said, looking back at the map. "I take pleasure in it, yes. I think I'm just extra excited about it at the moment because it's been so long..."

He smirked maliciously. "Yes, you've good reason to be excited about this particular kill..." his eyes swept the map swiftly. "Ah, that's not the map you want." he said shortly, walking around the desk and picking up a scroll from one of the drawers. He unrolled it and spread it across the desk, this one a very large and detailed map of Sylvarant.

Her eyes lit up instantly. "Aha..." she found the town she worked out of easily, and traced a route from there. She wasn't good with directions, but landmarks she was, and the directions from said landmarks gave her the bearings she needed.

He watched with interest, silently running over just how many times he must have overlooked said mansion as he was plotting something or another.

She traced a road with her finger, tapping it on some random town. "It was just outside from here. I never bothered learning the names of places..." she looked around the town and located the mansion, grinning lightly and tapping her finger on a dot on the map. "He's there. Bastard, he's there."

"Then there we shall go," he said quietly. He narrowed his eyes at the map, mentally burning the coordinates into his brain for future use. "I can take you to Welgaia to fix your spear, but you'll have to find your own way around. Upon second thought I'd hate for anything I've been working so hard for to be desecrated by poor leadership, so I'd better do the checking up I should be doing."

She shook her head. "I've got a better idea. If you want to come with me to meet him, meet me in this town." she pointed to the town the man lived just outside of, "Tomorrow." she grinned that grin again, she was getting weird with it, really, but nonetheless. "You'll get to see me at work again, and not a sissy job like the one before. I'm going to make this one...interesting." she said, picking up her spear. "Just whenever tomorrow. If I'm not there by some slim chance, wait for me. A'ight?"

He considered the wiseness of letting her go off on her own unattended, but then again he had just offered to willingly set her lose on Welgaia. He nodded. "Very well. Until tomorrow," he said, and with a slight bow, he vanished in a flash of light.

She disappeared soon after he had, looking at the map once more. Who said anything about Welgaia? She reappeared on the roof of a building in Meltokio, so that no one would see her. She climbed down the side of it that wasn't facing the street, and set off.

An hour or so later, a woman with long brown hair wearing a blue dress and a maroon pack around her, and a familiar green staff was standing in front of Earnia's home, knocking on the door.

"COOOOMING" came a cry from within the building, and a happy-looking Earnia flung open the large door, holding a butler at bay with her other arm. "Hiya! Aaaand what can I do for you?"

The mystery lady twirled her staff. "What, don'cha recognize me, O Great Chosen, Earnia?" she said, swishing the long brown hair aside.  
She squinted, still holding the butler (who seemed downright traumatized by Earnia opening the door) off. "...Nope!" she said after a few moments, beaming widely as ever.

She laughed, stopping her staff. "It's Sendra." she said, pulling back the brown hair just a bit, and at the back of her neck you could clearly see a bit of that blonde color. "I need Brunt for a bit, hope you don't mind. Thought it'd be nice to stop by for a chat as well, I have time to kill anyway."

"Ohhhh" she said, blinking. "Come on in!" she hitched her grin back on her face and turned back into the house, shoving the butler out of the way as she went. "Where'd ya get the spiffy clothes and ... new hair?"

"A shop in town." she said, shaking the brown hair away. "I thought my hair was annoying before, this keeps falling into my face. . It's just a wig though, thankfully." She followed Earnia into the front hallway "I have my clothes on under the dress. Trying to blend in a bit more."

"Understandable." she said, waving the butler away for the umpteenth time. "What brings ya back here so soon? I thought it'd be weeks until I saw you again."  
She smiled a little. "I'll explain, but I'd prefer it if we were alone :/"

"Right..." she said, leading Sendra into the sitting room and shooing out a maid. "Go... make...tea or something." she hissed to the maid. "Do whatever you feel you're supposed to be doing that I deem unneeded."

Sendra hopped into a chair. "I told you what I used to do before I became an angel, right?" she asked, folding her hands in her lap.

"Yep," she said, sitting in another chair after she made sure the door was locked. "Killer-for-hire."

Sendra nodded. "Aye. Part of this," she waved at the dress. "Is because I...have another job. This one's special though. He'd recognize me, otherwise I wouldn't bother." she said, laying her staff over her legs.

Earnia straightened with interest. "Something you're doing for the angels, or something for yourself?" she asked curiously. Surely the angels wouldn't want her killing anyone for no reason... they're angels, after all.

"Myself mostly." she laughed a little. "He's deserved it. He lives in another town; I don't remember the name. But I'd like to take Brunt with me." she smiled. "Mithos is going with me, and he hates my driving."

Earnia paused. "It's fine if you take Brunt, he's your horse after all, but uuh... wouldn't your boss not-liking your driving be a reason to NOT take Brunt?"

Sendra laughed. "Of course not. He is technically my boss, yes, but he knew when he gave me my Crystal that I'd be a pest, I reserved my right to be annoying.

Earnia giggled. "You must have a very forgiving boss then. Lucky you." A knocking at the door signaled the return of the maid with tea. Earnia ignored it completely.

"More just tolerant. Angels are ageless, and he is very old, I think he's happy to have the entertainment. I have to watch my step sometimes, but not that often."

Earnia nodded. "That makes sense then. Just make sure you don't push your bosses around too much, you're like the only truly fun person I know."

And still she ignored the knocking.

Sendra laughed a little. "I doubt he would hurt me. He has seen me work before, and knows my skills are useful to him." she looked over at the door. "Before she has a hernia, you should probably let her in. x3"

"Yeah, yeah..." Earnia mumbled, standing up and opening the door. The maid bustled into the room and set a tray of tea and cookies on the table before bustling out again. Earnia sighed, closing the door behind her and sitting down again. "I don't like having all these servants."

Sendra laughed. "You're the Chosen, they want to make sure you're comfortable." she said, shaking her head a little. "And I doubt they'll just let you refuse it."

"Nope. I've tried refusing many times." she sighed. "So I just have to do things myself before they realize I've done so. Like with the door."

"He looked absolutely horrified you lifted a finger." she giggled.

"I know!" she said, giggling as well. "Eventually one or the other of us will break. I'll just end up letting them do whatever or they'll stop freaking out over me doing stuff."

"Or you'll be warring over it until another chosen comes along." she smiled. "Ah, I'm sure you guys will figure something out...So has anyone hit on you yet in the half-a-day I was gone?"

"Haven't been out of the manor." she said, sighing. "I'm supposed to make a public appearance tomorrow, it'll start then I assume. For now I'm enjoying what little peace I can get."

She laughed. "I'd bet you'll have guys all over you by the time I get back."

"I hope not." she said, twirling a bit of her hair that was dyed blue. "These aristocrats weird me out, and they're the ones that'd be trying. I just can't wait until one of them asks me to sing, they'll get a taste of some horrible spell that'll make their vocal cords shrink for a few days or something."

Sendra laughed "Ahh, a Chosen after my own heart." she said, looking out the window. She wondered idly when Mithos would be done with his important boss-stuff...

Earnia giggled, reaching out for one of the cookies the maid had brought. One thing she didn't mind abut having servants was that they could cook a lot better then she could. "When do you need to leave?" she asked, tilting her head to the side slightly. "Brunt can be readied at any time."

"Just need to be there by noonish tomorrow, hopefully. I told him to meet me in the town, and I think it's a days worth of traveling from here." she said, fiddling with the dress. Now that she was sitting, you could see her green boots under it.

Earnia glanced at the large grandfather clock in the corner. "Couple hours, then." she said, smiling. "Why's Mithos going with you if it's a personal job, anyway?"

"Because it was his idea to go." she smiled lightly. "It is for my benefit...Taking care of past demons, but he brought it up." she huffed a laugh. "Lighting an old fire of mine, for my old employment."

Earnia nodded. "Revenge, then?" she asked, smiling sheepishly. "I wonder why he brought it up, in that case..."

Sendra shrugged. "Boredom, maybe. Right now he's off doing some of his boss-ish duties, but like I said, when you're that old, you get bored very easily."

Earnia didn't reply at once, merely sat with a contemplative look on her face. "Maybe." she said after a few moments, shrugging.

"I try not to pry too much into his reasoning. I'm just glad he brought it up in the first place... What this man did was terrible. I was supposed to 'take care of him' in the first place, I didn't then, and I am going to now." Sendra said, and Earnia smiled slightly. "Gonna teach him not to mess with angels? ...Even if you probably weren't an angel last time?"

"Teach him not to mess with me period." that scary-lookin' grin made its return.

Earnia laughed. "More power to ya." she said, nodding. "Show 'em who's boss!"

Sendra nodded. "I plan to. Judgment's come for him, in the form of a blonde with a spear and aim to kill." she said, standing slowly. "I'm sorry, but I'd kinda like to get going soon. I'd like to beat Mithos there, if possible, and see what the town is like."

"Of course," Earnia said, standing as well. "We can head down to what is now Brunt's stable and beat the servants there."

Sendra giggled. "To the stables!" she said, heading for the door and opening it for Earnia. "Allow me, Chosen." she bowed deeply, grinning at Earnia all the while.

Earnia stuck her tongue out at Sendra as she walked by, ignoring the maid that jumped to attention just outside the door. She walked toward the back of the manor and slipped out a door, heading into a half-indoor, half-outdoor room where Brunt had been kept.

Sendra laughed and followed Earnia through the house. Brunt, upon seeing he had company, looked up from sniffing at the floor. When he saw(or, more appropriately, smelled) exactly who said company was, he became absolutely ecstatic to see Sendra again, even if she didn't look like Sendra, he knew her scent. Sendra laughed when he nuzzled her shoulder almost hard enough to where she fell over. "Yeah, yeah, were you gettin' momsick ya big baby?" she laughed, and Brunt paid her comment no heed, just continued with his nuzzling.

Earnia grinned and, not knowing anything about how to prepare a horse to get it rideable, nodded to a far wall where all of Brunt's saddle-stuff was hooked. "All the stuff he had on the night you arrived is over there." she said, approaching Brunt tentatively to pat him on the neck.

Sendra wrestled him off her, muttering "Geroff me, goofus, we're gonna go riding." he stood still and took to sniffing Earnia while Sendra hooked him up.

Earnia giggled as he sniffed her, patting him on the nose happily. "You sure are a sweetie, Brunt."

Sendra smiled. "Did I ever tell you how I got 'im?" she asked, currently leaning under Brunt and buckling his saddle.

"Nope," Earnia said, curious.

Sendra went back to get his bridle. "I met him after I started working as an assassin, I still traveled on foot. I never really liked walking on roads; I'd walk in the grass about thirty feet away from them. Well, I'd managed to lose the path and ended up in the middle of a field with a hill at one end. It was late, so I decided to camp out there and find the road in the morning. Well, I woke up to hot breath in my face in the middle of the night. A herd of horses had moved in while I was asleep, and apparently, they didn't care that I was there. The breath, of course, was Brunt. He was quite a bit younger then, he wasn't exactly still a foal though. But his curiosity had gotten the better of him. Well, since the herd didn't care that I was there, I shoo'd Brunt away from me and went back to sleep. When I woke up in the morning, the herd had ridden off but Brunt stayed behind and was asleep next to me. I tried to get him to move off, but he kept following me. So I just kept him."

Earnia smiled widely. "Well that's awesome. What a cool way to find such a devoted friend."

She smiled. "Well, in the next town I had a leather maker fit him with a saddle, and we learned together how to ride, and be ridden in his case." she said, brushing through his mane with her fingers lightly. "We've been together ever since, right?" she said, patting Brunt's nose, and he brae'd in agreement, looking proud of his choice to stay behind.

Earnia giggled. "That's a really cool story. Brunt, you deserve more cool points for sticking around." she said, patting his neck again.

Sendra laughed. "Agreed." she said, taking off her pack and attaching it to Brunt's saddle. She walked over to Earnia and hugged her. "Thanks for taking care of my baby." she laughed. "We're gonna head off now."

Earnia giggled. "Happy to. Come back anytime, I'm happy to have company that isn't boring or stuck-up."

She smiled as she climbed onto Brunt's saddle. "Or fawning over you every moment?" she said, carefully sliding her spear into it's sheath under her hair and dress.

"That too." she said, making an odd noise halfway between a sigh and a giggle. "Good luck riding any decent distance in that dress!"

"That's why I opted for wearing my pants on underneath." she said, hiking the dress up to her knees. "Dignity be damned, like I'll be going slow enough for them to see anyway." she winked. "Could you get the door for me?"

She crossed the room and opened the wide door, beaming. "Give 'em hell from me, 'kay?"

Sendra laughed. "Hell hath no fury..." she said, once more grinning scarily. "HYA!" she yelled, and Brunt sped past Earnia and out the door.

Earnia cackled and waved, ignoring the maids that had just walked in through the other door and were panicking due to something or another. Sheesh, weirdos...


	24. Back on the Job

Sendra stopped just outside Meltokio, and teleported herself and Brunt with some difficulty to her home-world, Sylvarant. She chose a familiar place, to ensure herself getting there, and she had time to kill anyway. She rode off towards the town. It took them a nights worth of riding to get there, arriving around the time she'd wanted to. They stopped just outside the town, and Sendra re-adjusted herself on Brunt so she was riding sidesaddle, pushing her dress down around her boots. She rode into the town slowly, not getting many looks.

From the roof of a large building, Mithos watched over the town, unseen by anyone. He heard distant hooves and hoped he was wrong when he assumed it was Sendra riding on Brunt. Casting a wary glance around the street below, he teleported in the blink of an eye from the roof to the street, and wandered to the edge of the cobblestones.

Sendra didn't see him quite yet, and was scanning the shops to see if this man was in town. Brunt looked as he usually did, proud as a peacock.

Mithos glanced into a shop window without interest, hearing the hooves get nearer. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the horse-rider and horse, but didn't recognize the rider at once. He stood up straighter and narrowed his eyes, and he recognized Brunt's saddle. Wonderful.  
Sendra turned her head, recognizing him, she nodded lightly. Her staff being another good indicator that it was her. She returned to scanning shops, she'd get to him eventually.

Mithos sighed, leaning against the wall of the shop he was in front of and crossing his arms, waiting. He wondered if she'd try to have him ride Brunt again. Yeeeah, not gonna happen...

Sendra went around the town square, and once she was satisfied that he wasn't there, she rode over to Mithos. "You don't look happy." she said, smiling.

He smirked. "Just recalling our conversation from a few hours ago at the Tower of Mana. I am not riding your horse, just so you know."

She rolled her eyes. "Now come on, I'm not stupid enough to go blasting off into oblivion in the middle of a town. I'll be a good girl."

"No, but the second we get _out_ of town I have no way of knowing what you'll do." he countered softly, nodding to Brunt. "I trust the horse. I don't trust you."

"You drive, then." she said, smiling. "I'll help, but you'll be able to control the speed. Come on, it's faster than walking, and we can't very well teleport with everyone around us."

He considered for a moment. Little as he liked it, she was right. "Fine," he said, approaching Brunt. "But you try anything tricky and there will be hell to pay."

She nodded. "Seriously, Mithos, I said I'd be a good girl, and I keep my word." she said, scooting back in the saddle and very carefully swinging her leg around. "Side from that, I can't go very fast anyway in this damn dress... . It was the easiest way to cover my clothes and be able to get out of it easily. I don't want anyone, including him, to recognize me until I'm ready." she said, holding out a hand to help him up.

He took her hand and climbed into the saddle, a little unsteady at first but he settled himself after a moment. "I wondered why you were in a dress," he muttered. "Doesn't seem like you to wear something like that."

"It isn't." she muttered, "But I wanted to be able to get it off easily and still wear my own clothes underneath, so this was my only option." she said, handing him the reins. "I'll just start him, if you want him to go faster, nudge his sides with your shoes. Turning and stopping is easy, just guide him with the reins." she said, nodding "Ready?"

He nodded as well, couldn't be too hard. "Tell me where we're headed first, though."

She pointed out one of the paths leading away from the town "Out that way, just keep heading straight and we'll end up on his doorstep." she nudged Brunt's sides and he started walking.

He nodded, leading Brunt in that direction. "What do you plan to do once we arrive?"

"Pompous idiot won't open the door himself, we'll tell the servant who does that we're here on urgent business, if they ask why, leave that to me. Once we're inside we can knock out the servant and look for the master." she paused. "Leave him to me. I am stronger now than I was then, and I have the element of surprise."

He nodded. "You're the one with the right to strike him down, as well. Should you need a hand, though, don't hesitate to ask."

Sendra nodded, glad he'd understood that. "So, why'd you ask if he was a follower of Martel?"

"Just thought it would be more interesting if he was under the impression the angels had come to give him his divine judgment for his sins," he said, smirking evilly.

Sendra laughed. "When I left Earnia, she did tell me to give him hell..." she said, shaking the brown hair away. "Blah, and I thought my hair was bad before. Can't wait to get the wig off. . "

He smiled. "In due time," he said, daring Brunt to go a little faster along the path.

Brunt did a slow trot, Sendra smiling lightly. "See? This isn't so bad."

"No, this isn't," he said, "And I could probably stand to go a bit faster as well, it's more your unpredictable qualities I dislike then the speed. I never know what death-defying stunt you'll pull next."

Sendra laughed lightly. "Ahh. Well, that's understandable. It's rare I have someone else riding with me. I do said death-defying stunts because they get me where I want to go faster."

He smirked. "You'd do well to remember when you're riding with someone else," he said, getting Brunt to go just a bit faster. He wondered vaguely why they couldn't just teleport to the manor from here owing to the lack of people around, but found he really didn't mind this all that much.

She nodded. "Maybe if we ride often enough you'll get used to it." she smiled, laughing a little. "I'll go easy on the death-defyness from here on, 'kay?"

"Mhm," he said vaguely. "Though I can't think of a reason for us to need to ride often..."

She shrugged. "Well whenever we do ride, anyway."

"We'll see," he said, chuckling. "By the way, Yuan said he had something for you to do but I didn't stick around to find out what it was."

She blinked. "Yuan, huh? I'll have to find him after this." she said, a little surprised that after such a short time of her being in Cruxis her services were needed.

"He said something about wanting to test your abilities at something or another but I didn't catch most of it. I was listening to both him and Pronyma babble at the same time and only got snippets of both of them." he grumbled. "Morons, trying to report to me at the exact same time."

Sendra laughed a little. "Rather surprised Yuan even remembered who I was, really. ... It was still funny when I bit him, though."

Mithos snorted. "Remind me again exactly where you bit him?"

"On the leg. It was fun." she said, giggling a little.

"You're a very odd person." he said dryly, though he was smiling. "I'm sure he didn't appreciate that."

"I highly doubt it. Angel or not." she smiled. "I just do what I feel like doing. And I felt like biting his leg. You saw the state I was in when you left me with him."

He shook his head gently, still smiling. "Try that with me, I dare you. You'll be sent to work with Remiel for a week with orders to do everything he says without question."

"..." you could just HEAR the pouty-face she was making. "Not even a gnaw?"

He actually laughed, grinning widely. "Why on earth would you want to do that anyway?"

She shrugged. "I will agree that I am an odd person. Rarely do I place a limit on what I can and cannot do; if I get the urge to do something, often times, I do it. Just for the fun of it. I bit him to see how he would react to it. Which, I must say, was rather disappointing."

"How did he react to it?" he asked, looking over his shoulder to peer at her.

"He just cringed and rolled his eyes and kept on ignoring me. Pfft. Usually, people will look at me as if I'm some sort of maniac. And yes, I have bitten someone in public before."

He shook his head, grinning again. "Yuan is difficult to provoke sometimes, but he's got an underlying sense of fun that I think you'll like being around if you can coax him to relax. Probably best to not bite him anymore."

"Phooey." she said, looking up and over him. They were approaching a large, old-looking mansion. She shuddered a little. "There it is..."

He pulled back on the reigns in an attempt to get Brunt to slow a bit, looking at the mansion. "This is your last chance to turn back should you for some reason not want to do this," he said, looking over his shoulder at her again.

Brunt slowed, wondering what was up. Sendra narrowed her eyes at the mansion. "If I turn back now, it will only prove that I am not strong enough to face him again. He doesn't deserve to live." she said coldly.

Mithos nodded, steering Brunt closer to the mansion. "Very well then."

Sendra held her spear across her lap as they approached the mansion. She remembered it from when she escaped, but she was going _away_ from it then...

Mithos pulled on Brunt's reigns again as they reached the front of the mansion, gazing up as the massive building. "Big place." he commented, wondering how long it would take them to find this man.

"It was interesting trying to get out of there from the basement." she said, shaking her head. She scooted backwards and dismounted from Brunt's behind.

Mithos slid sideways off Brunt, nearly losing his balance once on the ground again but managing not to fall over. He grinned slightly. "I'll assume you trust Brunt to not run off?" he asked, not exactly seeing anywhere proper to tie him anyway.

She laughed a little. "He's a momma's boy. He won't leave." she said, straightening her skirt and making sure it covered her boots.

He chuckled, patting Brunt idly before walking toward the mansion. "Shall we, then?"

Sendra nodded, walking behind him, eyeing the door. Surely, one of the servants would have noticed them by now.

Mithos glanced at her once before raising a hand and knocking at the door, easily hearing the knock reverberate around the inner parts of the mansion.

The door opened a small crack. Sendra looked down at it calmly, and the door opened a bit wider to reveal that a short, balding butler had opened the door. "Yess?"

"We are here to see your boss on urgent business." she said coldly, glaring at the little man, who raised a brow at her. "Mmhmm. He's been expecting company. This way." he turned and walked back inside the house. Whilst his back was turned, she leaned down and whispered at Mithos. "You're welcome to take care of the servants." she said, walking into the house in front of him and turning her staff in her fingers.

Without expression, Mithos raised a hand while the butler's back was still turned and a flash of light struck the old man, stunning him. "I see no reason to kill them... stunning them for a while will suffice." he said quietly, green eyes sweeping the deserted entrance room.

Sendra nodded, yanking that dang wig off, and her hair was just as it usually was underneath. She pulled the dress off as well, and her usual clothes were underneath, minus the sheath that usually covered her right arm. She unhooked her spear head from her belt and attached it to the staff. "Well, that was easy enough." she looked around the room. "He had brown hair, thick build, not exactly fat but certainly not muscular or skinny, and will probably have a wound of some kind." she said simply, brushing her hair away. "I want you to go that way and look for him. If you find him, signal me somehow. I'm sure you'll find a way." she said, looking over the freshly sharpened edge of her spear and grinning.

The man in question was in his downstairs study, no idea that they were there.

He nodded, feeling slightly strange taking orders but not exactly minding it in this case. He wandered off in the direction she had indicated, eyes alert for any signs of movement. Astonished at the lack of servants coming to see what the commotion near the door was.

A smallish maid did peek out from behind a statue, but when she saw Sendra and her spear, she promptly ducked behind it again. Sendra rolled her eyes, if the maid wasn't going to do anything brave, she was no worry.

Sendra went upstairs while Mithos wandered down a flight of stairs instead. He noticed a door ajar in the hallway below. Quietly and quickly, he sunk against the wall and peered into the room. "Aha..." he whispered, ducking his head out of the doorway swiftly and losing his eyes, searching for Sendra's mana signature. Finding it quickly, he caused his own voice to echo in her head. "Come downstairs! I think I've found who we're looking for."

Sendra's eyes lit up, and at the moment she didn't give a damn about how he did that. She bolted back for the stairs she'd just come up, and leapt down them, landing gracefully, she turned and composed herself, and walked down the stairs with her spear at her side, as if she owned the place.

He was still standing calmly by the doorway, and smiled as she came into view. He nodded his head toward the door that still stood ajar, silently telling her to go that direction.

Sendra narrowed her eyes. The door right across the hall from the room he was in was _that_ room. She shrugged it off and stepped into the doorway. He had his eyes glued to a piece of paper.

"'Ello there." Sendra said, once again twisting her spear in her fingers. The man looked up vaguely, apparently expecting someone else he returned to his paper, then did a double-take, blinking at her. "Do I know you...? Why hasn't James announced you...? o.O;"

Sendra glared. "Mm. Perhaps you would recognize me better if I had a red sheet around me, hmm?" she said with a light grin as the realization came over his face.

Mithos slid around the doorframe to stand next to and slightly behind her, face expressionless but coldly so. He stared at the man in the room, sizing him up. Finding no reason to speak, he let Sendra have control of the situation.

The man blinked at her. "...How the hell did you get back here, Princess?" he said rather more smoothly than he should have.

Sendra glared, laughing lightly. "So you remember then." she stepped into the room and twirled her spear so the point was downward. She set the point of it into his desk and watched him wince as the point buried itself in the expensive wood. "Get up. We're going on a little trip." she glared at him, he seemed to shrink a bit at that, but he did stand.

Mithos perked up and looked around at her with interest, not realizing she would take him anywhere. Still not speaking, he merely looked back at the man, figuring it would be better if there were four eyes making sure he didn't escape rather then just two.

Sendra directed him with her spear towards the door, and across the hall. "Open that door." she ordered, and he did without question. He raised an eyebrow once the door was open, and laughed. "Bringing back memories, Princess?" he said. Sendra smiled briefly, and poked him into the room. He turned around and shifted his weight to one foot. "Now, now, I seem to remember this situation... Only without the twerp." he said, seemingly only noticing Mithos just now. Sendra had to let out a laugh at that, more directed at him than at Mithos.

"'Princess', eh?" Mithos said, smirking slightly at her. "I'll have to remember to never call you that." he glanced at the man again. "What's your name, sir sleaze?"

Sendra rolled her eyes. Sir Sleaze stared at Mithos. "...Ronald. What are you, ten?...Holy crap, you're not mine are you? I thought it was later than that!" he said, mildly shocked.

Sendra coughed. "You might want to set him straight on who you are, sonny. :P"

Mithos's smirk vanished, replaced by a cold frown. He glared at Ronald, once again sizing him up. Little a threat a human such as himself would be, it had become a habit of his. "I'm much older then you are, human." he said simply. "It would be wise to treat me with some respect."

Ronald didn't look amused. "Likes playing games, does he?"

Sendra was growing rather tired of this. She looked around the room once; it hadn't changed. Now that she got to looking at Ronald, she could see a mark peeking out from under one of his sleeves...He saw her eyeing that, and laughed again. "Yeah, that's the one you gave me, Princess. Gonna try and give me another one and run away like last time? You're lucky you had enough strength to hit me." he grinned. "I doubt you could hit the broad side of a barn though, with that aim. You were going for my heart, weren't you?"

Sendra glared ice-daggers at him. She leant over to Mithos. "Keep the door blocked."

He glared for a moment at Ronald, half considering making his wings appear and/or transforming just to shut the man up, but he left it to Sendra and walked over to the door. He crossed his arms in front of him and glared into the room, not really looking like he was truly blocking anything due to his size.

Sendra, however, did make her wings appear, and she floated well above his head. "You made a grave mistake, sir. You see, back then I wasn't near as strong as I am now... You can thank him for most of it." she nodded to Mithos, and continued. "See, now, I can do this." she said, not even closing her eyes and shooting a fireball at the bed. She noticed that the dresser she had destroyed was either repaired or he had gotten a new one. Either way, the bed went up in flames.

Ronald blinked, though he knew that magic wasn't especially...special. He scoffed, but Sendra still smiled. "Find that amusing, hmm? Let's try this then..." she said, and icicles dropped from the ceiling and completely destroyed the wardrobe.

Mithos smiled vaguely. "He isn't impressed," he said, turning his head to the side slightly. "Remember what Shadow taught you about the power of darkness."

Sendra nodded. "In due time." she said as a fair-sized rock fell from the sky and landed on Ronald's toe. He yelped at it, and Sendra smiled, twirling her spear in her hand, she looked about the room. She breathed in, and stared unblinking at Ronald. A dark sphere started growing around his shoes. He looked utterly confused by this but didn't seem to be able to move. Sendra grinned as he became rather frantic as the sphere reached his head.

"How's that, then?" she said as Ronald gave a scream when the sphere completely surrounded him. "He's not dead yet." she said, flying over to the door and landing next-to-in front-of Mithos. She aimed her spear at the sphere, and in a second, it disappeared. Ronald stood there, looking absolutely shaken to the core. Sendra grinned.

Mithos smiled. "You truly earned that title Aska granted you, it seems." he said. "Tell me, Ronald, are you a follower of the Church of Martel?" he asked happily, leaning around Sendra to smirk at the rather freaked-out man in the room.

Sendra giggled, flapping her own wings. Ronald blinked, sweating obviously. He wasn't so confident now. He looked at Mithos, and nodded lightly. "Who do you think I'm praying to...?" he muttered, wringing his hands. Sendra smiled.

Mithos smiled as well. "Do you know what we are, then?" he asked, his own rainbow wings appearing smoothly.

He stared at them, paling instantly. "uhh...muh...y--...ANGELS!?" he yelled, staring. Sendra grinned, nodding darkly. Apparently the twit had taken this long to notice her wings, too distracted by her magic.

Mithos's smile also took on a dark shine as he transformed into his adult form, wings still out though greater and purple now. He chuckled darkly. "Martel is not pleased with your actions." he said simply, crossing his arms again and leaning against the doorframe.

Sendra laughed lightly, and Ronald continued paling and sweating. Sendra grinned, "Aye. Y'see, you were just plain messing with the wrong person. Back then maybe, but today..." she grinned. "I'll assume you already know. You're as good as dead."

Yggdrasill smirked again, knowing the man before them deserved this torment. "I wonder," he said casually, "How many other people have you harmed and violated?"

Ronald stared, shivering now. "J-just the one! Just her!!" he gulped. Sendra laughed lightly. "You wouldn't have planned it with me as well as you had if there hadn't been more before me."

"Do not lie to the servants of the Goddess," he said, voice sinisterly calm. "It will only prolong your suffering."

Sendra smiled a little, drawing the tip of her spear on the ground; it being freshly sharpened, it left a deep enough gash. She stepped forward, talking back to Mithos "'Ey...remember the first ice spell I used?" she smiled brightly.

He chuckled lightly. "How could anyone forget something like that?"

She laughed a little "Well... 'm in a playful mood, so I'mma try a variation of that..." she said, holding her hand out, directed at Ronald, who looked very confused, though it didn't take that long to realize exactly what she'd done. Instead of throwing icicles at him, she'd simply frozen that part of his body. My, my, she's cruel. She grinned. "You deserve it."

Yggdrasill laughed in earnest this time, not having expected that. "Not bad at all," he said, shaking his head lightly, though he was grinning. "I can only imagine how uncomfortable that must be."

Ronald was squirming a moment, before he completely fell over and writhed. Sendra smiled. "As I said, you deserve that one." she looked over at Mithos. "You wanna try anything? Can't let me have all the fun."

He watched Ronald for a moment. "I have no reason nor right to do anything. Even a low-level spell would likely kill him if I did anything anyway. You have your fun and revenge."

She laughed lightly, melting the ice that tormented him. "Well, if it's just my revenge then I need to do no more." she said, walking over to Ronald and kicking him hard enough to force him upright. "Mithos, step away from the door." she grinned evilly out of Ronald's line of sight.

He raised an eyebrow but did so, stepping into the room and away from the door. "What exactly do you plan on doing to him?" he asked curiously, though he figured he'd find out shortly.

"Ohh, you'll see." she said, standing over him still. "Get up, get out. Never touch another woman, and you can go. Remember, the Angels are watching you." she said, glaring down at him. You didn't have to tell him twice, as once he was up he bowed to her and muttered 'thank you' a million times, and bolted for the door. Sendra grinned. "TOO SLOW!" she hollered. In one short second, as he was passing Mithos out the door, Sendra's spear passed completely through him and stuck in the opposite wall, probably getting a little blood on Mithos as well. No matter, Ronald gagged, and fell, never to move again. Sendra simply stood, in front of the still-burning bed, with that scary grin on her once again.

Yggdrasill flicked a blood-spattered sleeve, smirking. "Sneaky. I hadn't expected something quite that tricky."

She laughed darkly. "He's lucky it was quick. I haven't enjoyed that as much in a long time." she said, walking over to the door, over him, and she yanked her spear out of the wall. "Mm. Glad I sharpened this, otherwise it would have been a lot messier." she said, wiping it off on a nearby curtain.

He chuckled. "I wonder how long it will take someone to find him." he said, nudging the body with his foot.

"I'd suspect his servants ran off a while ago. I don't really know...and I'm not likely to care." she grinned. She stared at him. "Rot in hell." she said, kicking his head with her boot (probably harder than needed). "Right, where to now?"

"Yuan wanted you," he said, "Though I don't believe it was a time-restricted kind of thing. Just whenever you get bored enough. Surely you want to take Brunt somewhere safe before we go anywhere far?"

"I'll take him back to Earnia. I think he likes it there." she said, nodding towards the staircase and walking out.

He followed her, not bothering to transform again. "She's... in... Meltokio. Right." he said, having to search briefly for a mana signature that mimicked Martel's, therefore locating the Chosen of the opposite world. "Too much has happened in the last day or so for me to keep something like that in long-term memory."

"Of course, where else would the chosen be?" she said, kicking the dress she had been wearing out of the way as she went out the door. Brunt brae'd happily upon seeing her return.

He had no reply to that, merely followed her out of the door. He closed it out of habit behind him and heard several locks snapping together of their own accord as the door slammed to a close.

Sendra smiled, petting Brunt's side. "Well, now that there's no one around, you're welcome to teleport us if you'd rather not ride. :P" she said, reaching into Brunt's saddlebag and feeding him a carrot.

"I would rather not ride all the way to Meltokio, no. Since, yaknow, it's impossible." he said dryly, raising a hand and placing it on Brunt's side. He had to fish mentally for a moment to recall where Earnia's mansion was, but once he pinpointed where he was headed, he nodded. "Mind you, there are people /in/ Meltokio. Shall I just transport us right to Brunt's stable?"

"That'll work." she nodded, holding on to Brunt's bridle to keep him steady.

In a moment, they were standing in the suddenly dimly-lit and totally vacant stable that Brunt had been put up in off the side of Earnia's manor. He lowered his hand, glancing around, the wings at his wrists the only notable source of light.

Sendra looked around, nodding lightly. It was rather late anyway... "Earnia will see that he's back and know what's happened." she said, nodding. She stroked Brunt's nose lightly, murmuring to him.

He nodded. "Probably best. No telling what the Chosen's sleeping pattern is, and I doubt any of her servants would appreciate two random visitors at this hour."

Sendra giggled. "I think the butler had a heart attack when she answered the door on her own." she said, kissing Brunt lightly on the nose and muttering something that sounded like, "I'll be back soon". She turned to Mithos. "I think I'll go find Yuan...I'm rather interested about what he wants."

"Probably wishes to see firsthand your skill at fighting." he said, a smirk on his face. "I have no idea where you will find him, though."

"Mm... I'll find him eventually. " she said, shrugging lightly "He can't have evaporated...Right? "

"Sometimes it seems like he does," he said, chuckling. "Always comes back though. There's a possibility he would be in his quarters in Vinheim, I can take you there to start with, but you're on your own after that. I don't care to go all over looking for him."

She nodded. "Quite understandable. I'll be fine." she said, patting Brunt again, as he returned to sniffing the floor.

He held out his hand wordlessly, being a little too used to this by now. "See you later then, Brunt," he said, grinning at the horse. The horse reminded him vaguely of a large creature that had taken to following Kratos around on their original journey, and he'd taken a liking to both animals.

Brunt swished his tail in acknowledgement, and Sendra took Mithos's hand.


	25. Trainin' with Stinkoman

Another moment later, they were standing outside a large wooden door in a remote part of Derris-Kharlan's castle, once again outside Yuan's office. Yggdrasill nodded toward it. "Best place to start your search. If he's not there, there's not much more help I can be of, I'm afraid.

She smiled lightly. "Despite the unfamiliar surroundings, remember that I was also paid to hunt people down. I'll find him." she said, smiling cheerfully. "Thanks again for carting me around. "

He half-nodded, smirking. "Oddly, it was enjoyable apart from being chastised by several of the spirits. Have fun on your search." And with that, he vanished into thin air.

As soon as he was gone, she snapped her fingers. "Shoot, meant to ask him why they were doing that in the first place...Ah well." she turned and banged on the door, sheathing her spear once more.

Yuan, who was lying on the couch in the middle of the room with notes flashing in the air in front of him, jumped and nearly slid off said couch as the door was banged on. "What in the world..." he muttered, waving an arm and causing the notes to vanish. He headed for the door and wrenched it open, looking slightly confused. The confusion vanished as soon as he registered who it was calling. "Ah, Sendra. I hadn't expected you to come find me so soon."

She smiled lightly. "I merely had to finish some business with an old colleague. I'm rather interested in what you wanted me for anyway." she said, nodding. "And I promise not to bite you again...this time anyway."

He neither smiled nor nodded, merely stepped aside and waved a hand, inviting her into his quarters once again. It was just as cluttered as before, with perhaps slightly fewer books lying about and more in the shelves along the wall.

She stepped inside, nudging the door closed with her foot and leaning to her left side, waiting for him to speak.

He turned to face her, arms folded in front of his chest. "I wanted to speak with you for several different reasons. Firstly, why is it that Yggdrasill seems so content to ferry you around?"

She blinked, then shrugged. "I'm not sure really. Boredom, I'd suspect. Being 3000+ years old, he said himself he welcomes the entertainment." she said, tilting her head to the side. "Why do you ask?"

Yuan was silent for a moment, thinking. "It seems odd that he would do something like that for ... anyone, really. I suppose boredom could be a factor, but with all that needs to be done around here I'm not sure about that." he paused again, taking in her appearance and weighing everything he knew about her. "You are an escaped member of the Mana line, are you not?"

She nodded. "My grandfather had an affair. And from what Mithos has said, there actually isn't much for him to do. Checking up on things yes but he's told me he does get very bored."

Yuan closed his eyes and nodded after a moment. "Yes, I suppose I forget that he lets us do a lot of the work." he opened his eyes again, squinting at Sendra. "Still, be wary. As one of the mana line, there is a chance that you are the one Cruxis has been working toward creating as a vessel for Martel, slim as the chance is."

She stared blankly at him. "...waitwut...I know what you're talking about, but... Eh. Guess I just hadn't realized that along with anything else it meant to be in the Mana line." she said, shrugging. Sheesh, that'd be weird.

"There IS a reason the Mana line exists, after all," he said, sighing. "It's been manipulated carefully by Yggdrasill for as long as this organization has existed. As you're a generation outside the line, I doubt you have much to worry about, but seeing Yggdrasill cart you around as he has been makes me wonder."

She shrugged lightly. "Like I said, I've no idea. That's something you'll want to bring up with him. Though I have no idea why he'd bother carting me around if I'd just end up being Martel's vessel." she talked with unusual calmness considering becoming Martel's vessel would involve losing herself. She paused. "...Weren't you and Martel...?"

He was silent for a few moments, staring at a point just over her shoulder. "...Engaged to be married, yes." he said quietly. "But she was killed by humans shortly after the Kharlan war ended."

She nodded, wanting to confirm that first. She thought she'd heard Mithos mention it once or twice. "Well, like I said, as far as I know me becoming Martel's vessel would involve me losing my soul or some-such. Why bother running around with me, training me, and essentially getting to know me if that was going to happen?"

"To find out in unobtrusive ways if you are Martel's copy." he said dully. "Though you bring up a good argument, I would still be cautious. If you aren't Martel's copy, you must have extremely high talents to have won him over so easily."

"I think he laughed when I told him I bit you..." she offered, smiling lightly.

He paused, then smiled very faintly. "He... laughed? That doesn't happen often anymore up here. Nobody laughs on Derris-Kharlan. No reason to."

She blinked, remembering Mithos vaguely mentioning that, and all the other angels that looked so sour the first day she was there. "...Yeh. He's laughed several times. And smiled!" she said proudly.

Yuan was silent for a few moments, trying to fathom that. "More reason to be wary, actually..." he said slowly. "I haven't seen him smile since Martel was still alive."

Sendra laughed lightly. "Mm. I still doubt I'm the one he's after. He may not have smiled since then... But I used to be an assassin. That 'old colleague' I mentioned before is now dead and by my hand, and I don't regret a thing. From what I know of Martel, she was nothing like that."

He nodded. "True enough. She would never have chosen a career like that... she never killed unless she absolutely had to, and even then, she was hesitant. Still, you don't need to be a perfect match in personality, but in mana signature." he watched her wordlessly for a moment. "The chances are slim, but be wary should anything odd happen."

She nodded. "Aye. I will." she nodded lightly. "Anything else you needed me for, then?"

He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Copy or not, you'll be around for a while, and since you managed to win over the Supreme Lord of Angels so simply, you'll be magically boosted to the top of the ranks. I want to make sure you are actually worthy of that title."

Sendra smiled. "Don't you trust Mithos's judgment?" she said, shaking her head a little. "He knows I take orders from those I respect. So far, I think Remiel is the only one who deems me unworthy of any sort of position, but that's probably because I've annoyed him somehow. He's a stick-in-the-mud anyway."

"That's another odd thing..." he murmured. "He allows you to call him by his first name. Though I suppose... was he in his actual form when you met?" he asked, seemingly distracted for a moment from his determination to gauge for himself weather she deserved such a high title.

She paused. "...He was in his child form if that's what you mean." she said, blinking. She wasn't sure which form he was referring to. "I don't call him "Lord Yggdrasill" because I don't acknowledge that many people as higher than me, not even the man who paid me back when I...worked. I know Mithos could probably kill me at the drop of a hat, but that doesn't scare me enough to refer to him as "lord". He knows this, and as far as I know I don't think he minds."

"...Interesting," Yuan said, pausing to think that over. "If he introduced himself as Mithos to you in his child form, then I can understand that, but to allow you to continue calling him that after you've been taken into Cruxis is odd... he must really like you." Yuan smiled faintly again. "More reason to test your skill for myself."

"I think he did introduce himself as Mithos." she shrugged lightly. "It's a name, anyway. I don't see why it'd matter." she smiled a little. "As for 'testing my skill'... How exactly do you plan to do so?"

"Several ways," he said, standing a bit straighter and looking her directly in the eye. "I'll put you through your paces. See how you deal with magic and fighting. If Yggdrasill had to take you around to have you learn of the Spirits, I'll assume he's not keeping you around for your historical knowledge."

She looked proud. "Yep. He's seen me do my work, I'd assume he values my skills in keeping things quiet until I want people to know...usually shortly after they're dead. But, anyway." she bowed. "I will do my best with whatever you have planned."

He nodded. "Then let us travel to the deeper reaches of Derris-Kharlan. Monsters are often abundant the further from the castle you go, and there is less chance of damaging something out there."

She nodded, unsheathing her spear, to be ready. "Lead the way. I have no idea where you plan on going. I haven't spent that much time up here anyway."

"It will be faster if we teleport. Derris-Kharlan is a gigantic place." he said, and after a moment, he raised a hand for her to take. "And it's better if I just do it for several reasons."

She laughed a little. "That's fairly obvious, really." she took his hand, holding her spear at her side.

A mist slightly different from that of the familiar one Mithos created whenever he teleported surrounded them for a moment, and suddenly they stood out in the deep reaches of Derris-Kharlan, standing on a large platform in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. The platform linked itself to several other platforms by stone walkways, and everything seemed to be floating out in thin air with no means of visible support. The dark sky that swirled with clouds of deep purples and indigos all around them, and barely visible beyond that, a dim star could be seen here and there if you looked hard enough. Yuan sighed, looking around. "Hard to believe the elves came from here..."

Sendra nodded lightly, leaning on her spear. "Hard to believe much of anything came from here." she said, resisting an urge to poke the tip of her spear. It was still sharp and pointy!

He nodded in agreement, waving an arm in a sweeping motion across the platform. Rocks that, like the platform itself, floated out in the middle of thin air floated close to the platform, many of them, each around a foot or so in size, leaving some amount of space between each rock. "Agility test," he said simply. "Simple enough if you don't fall. Some rocks will trick you, be wary if it starts shaking." he flicked a wrist and, far away on the last rock, a shining red flag perched itself on top. "Collect the flag and bring it back to me, and do not summon your wings unless you fall. Understood?"

She nodded, pulling the spearhead off of her spear and attaching it to its usual spot on her belt. She stepped back from where she would jump to the first rock, and jumped to it. She didn't go slowly, but she could go faster as she hopped along the rocks. She made sure to check her footing on each one to see if they would shake.

Not many tried to trip her up, but a few looked like they would crumble away as soon as she stepped on them. One or two even had arrows pointing downward on them, very small but visible in the right light, as they were silver. Yuan merely watched, eyes narrowed.

She watched where she put her feet, and if one looked dangerous, she wasn't on it for more than it took to push off to the next one. She stepped to the side to avoid the ones she noticed the arrows on, not wanting to know what they did.

Yuan nodded to himself, noticing her sidling off to the side. He flicked a wrist again and each rock changed, what ones were totally safe were dubious now and those that looked crumbly or were arrow'd took on safe appearances. "Look alive!" he called, not wanting to catch her too off-guard.

She nodded lightly, she had stepped on a safe-looking one, but she felt it give under her boot and she pushed off with both feet, landing on her hands on the next one and landing with her feet on the next one after, a safe one. She shook her head lightly. "Mm..." she mumbled before she kept hopping.

Yuan nodded again, watching her progress. Content to let her cope with the sudden change of rocks, he didn't mess with them for the moment, noting that she was about halfway to the flag.

She took a few sidesteps, picking which rocks a little more carefully. She mostly stepped on the dangerous looking ones, but she hopped to a safe one (but never stayed long) every once and again, testing the waters. She didn't try anything fancier than that flip; that was an emergency move.

Yuan smirked, noting and liking her sudden awareness of what rocks she picked as her next one. He twisted a hand in midair in front of him and the dangerous-looking rocks flipped, the crumbly looking ones suddenly replaced with arrow-y ones. Suddenly being many more arrowy ones then crumbly; an arrow-rock near Sendra began spinning about, flipping end over end. It stopped after a moment, it appeared to be merely showing off what its effect was.

Sendra paused a moment to look at it, but didn't dare stand still long. She tried to pick out the crumbly ones, at least she had a chance of getting off those quick enough if they failed her.

He nodded once more, thinking it wise of her to avoid the ones that flipped. Several of them had spikes on the underside. Step on one? Suddenly it either flings you forward or else you've got spikes undafoot. Huzzah.

Sendra had to do another emergency flip, once safe again she looked up to make sure the flag was still in front of her, just a few rocks away. She went slightly faster but still being careful what rocks she stepped on.

"Wonderful," Yuan said under his breath as she neared the flag-rock. The second she stepped foot on it, he clapped his hands and the rocks rotated again, safe becoming unsafe and vice-versa, all save the one she stood on. Each began to move very slightly, moving several inches to the left and then the right, back and forth. Not many were stationary, but those that were were totally safe. "Move swiftly but carefully, Sendra! Use your head!" he called, knowing she probably didn't need to be told that but erring on the side of caution.

She kept the flag in her mouth (might need her hands again), and started off, doing some cross-steps, almost looking like she was skipping if one squinted hard enough. She tried to keep to the stationary stones, but once again, she just was on the moving ones for seconds if that.

Impressed with her speed, Yuan erased the crumbling rocks from the field altogether, all replaced by flippers, all flippers moving. Twice as many trick rocks as safe, Yuan was satisfied now and deemed it not worth messing with the board any further.

She did a half growl half laugh. She knew she'd end up on a flipper eventually. She avoided the moving rocks as best she could for a while, but it took her five seconds to realize there was no getting off this rock without getting on a moving one. She leapt forward, landing with one foot instead of two in an attempt to just run through them.

It snapped forward the moment her foot touched, though fortunately she had picked one that handily lacked a spiked underside. "Jump upward!" he called, hoping she was quick enough to jump over the painful rotation-reflex the flippers had.

She nodded, side-jumping to avoid a moving one and leaping off to another solid one. She unsheathed her spear and planted it in the solid one in front of her, pole-vaulting over it and landing two stones over, jumping over a moving one. She sheathed the spear again as she hopped. It worked in a tight situation anyway.

Yuan nodded, watching her progress with an expressionless face. Arms crossed in front of him once again, impressed against his will at the skill she seemed to hold in tight situations.

She almost danced over the next ten or so rocks, nearing the platform she'd left Yuan on. When she reached the last two rocks before the platform, she did another flip, though this one was out of celebration. She beamed with the flag still in her mouth.

He nodded in approval, waving a hand carelessly to cause the rocks to vanish. "You passed with flying colors," he said, cracking an extremely small smile as the last of the rocks popped out of the area. "I am impressed, though perhaps I shouldn't be."

She tilted her head to the side, apparently just now noticing the flag in her mouth, she spat it out into her hand and tried that "huh?" look again. Minus the flag.

"I shouldn't be so impressed, knowing of your previous occupation." he elaborated. "You must have had to be able to think on your feet, and fast."

She nodded lightly. "Rarely did someone surprise me, but I did have to be agile enough to not let people see me, as I said, until I want them to." she said, handing the flag over.

He took the flag lightly and it vanished into thin air. "You've been given a crash-course in Magic, I've been told..." he said, stepping to the edge of the platform. "I wish to measure how much skill you took from that."

Waving a hand again, a large number of small targets that moved of their own accord appeared, each target glowing a different color. Dark blue, light blue, red, white, black, purple, brown, and green, ten or so of each.

"Each target is weak to one form of magic and strong to the opposite. Hit a target with what it is attributed to, destroy it. Hit a target with its elemental opposite, it moves faster and becomes more elusive. Hit one with neither, nothing happens. I want you to get rid of all of them as quickly as you can"

Sendra nodded, standing with her feet apart she examined the targets. She assumed that they glowed the color of their element, so, matching colors to elements, she took to the light blue colored one first. She held her palm towards it and three decent sized fireballs zoomed towards it.

As the fireballs hit it, it shrunk very slightly and began zooming about faster then any of the other targets, whizzing gleefully past a red target. Yuan smirked. "Ah, interesting. Did I not say that hitting a target with its opposite would cause it to move faster, or was my wording too confusing?" he said, chuckling lightly. "You hit ice with fire, its reverse."

She rolled her eyes lightly. "That wording problem would be a problem with the teacher, not the student. :P" she said, turning back to the light blue one. Well it would annoy her to no end if she tried to turn to another target, so she held her palm towards it once more, keeping up with it and catching whatever rhythm it had, and she shot 20 or so rather small, needle like icicles at it.

"Or is it that you weren't listening close enough?" he said simply, still smiling vaguely. The target was caught with the icicles and shattered into several hundred tiny pieces, all clattering to the floor noisily.

She shook her head a little, not dignifying that with a response. She turned to the red one and shot one rather large fireball at it, wanting to see how well she could wield fire now anyway.

The red one likewise exploded into several hundred pieces, and the other red ones all gave off small shrieks and scattered, moving as far away from each other as possible.

Sendra laughed a little, yeah, you just GO AND FEAR HER. She turned her attention to the other colored targets. She cracked her knuckles and turned to the green one. She thought of two ways to dispose of it... Might as well try the one she hasn't done yet. She held her palm out and calmed herself, it took a little effort, but soon enough vines came from the floor and ripped the target apart.

"Now, now," Yuan said, laughing. "Pay more attention!"

The green target that had been torn apart cackled gleefully as it wrenched itself out of the plants' grasp, growing smaller and zooming away. The brown targets giggled at Sendra, weaving about in the space above her head as though taunting her.

She growled lightly. Yuan didn't annoy her quite as much as the targets themselves did. She knew an earth spell wouldn't work as well at the moment, so she moved on to the black one. She forced a laugh. She didn't show it, but back in that house, that room still creeped her out... The black target was surrounded quickly enough by blackness.

The target writhed inside the darkness before exploding like the other two, falling out through the blackness to clatter onto the floor. "Good!" Yuan said, looking like he was enjoying himself more then he had in a while. "You have a good grasp on that element, I can tell."

She smiled faintly and concentrated a moment. It took a minute or so but the white target was surrounded with light, interestingly, it was about as powerful as the dark spell this time.

Like the red targets, the other white targets decided to make a break for it as they saw one of their number fall to the ground in pieces. Yuan waved a hand carelessly and they all came sulking back, though still staying as far from Sendra as they could.

Sendra ignored them and closed her eyes, calming herself again. This time it was the brown targets, and the vines were more numerous, and thorny. Ow.

Three targets got caught in the vines, and they all squealed as they were torn apart. The other brown targets freaked out and began banging into other colors in their haste to avoid getting caught by a vine. One of them managed to send a dark blue target crashing into the back of Sendra's head.

Sendra reached behind her instinctively, catching the target. Upon realizing what it was, she set it on the ground and nudged it to hurry off. She wasn't doing water just yet... She eyed around for some purple targets.

Several purple targets were grouped together near a bunch of dark blue ones, apparently the targets had banded together in a vain attempt to force her to strengthen one kind if she wanted to harm the other.

She blinked at them. "What'd you do, make a second culture with these things?" she said, not waiting for an answer. She held out a hand to the blue and purple cluster, and quite a few lightning bolts rained down on them. She figured Water would be easier to control even if the targets were smaller.

All but one of the blue targets were smacked with lightning as well as the purple ones, all blue ones zoomed off as the purple ones shattered. The smaller and faster blues zoomed around gleefully, along with the one escaped greenie that she had vine'd. Yuan chuckled. "I couldn't explain how they take on such a life if I tried. It's the magic of Derris-Kharlan."

She shook her head lightly, she flicked a hand at the escaped greenie and a vine came up from behind it and slapped it across the platform.

The greenie giggled manically and shrunk again, zooming even faster around and around. Yuan suppressed a laugh as the other green targets giggled and flashed about, weaving between the brown targets and nudging both shades of blue around like they owned the place.

She laughed a little. "Ahh, but wait." she mumbled. She held her hands out, and slightly up. "Small or not, this will get you. I'd hold on to your hair, Yuan." she said, as a small-ish tornado grouped together all of the remaining targets, rounding them up in it's center.

Yuan flung his arms over his head as the tornado whipped around, each and every green target screeched and bellowed, breaking up. The few remaining brown targets all shrunk, cackling, though the purple and blues didn't seem to be affected in the least.

As soon as the tornado dissipated, some lightning bolts came down and zapped the remaining purple ones. Directly after that, and before they had a chance to disperse, a wave crashed down on them. She put her hands at her sides and stared at the brown ones.

The brown ones crashed into each other, then huddled close, prepared for the end to come. The light blue ones, unphazed by the crashing wave, all took to buzzing around Sendra's head and knocking into her playfully.

Sendra grinned evilly at the brown ones, and without even raising a hand, a giant boulder fell from the sky on top of them, leaving a crater even! She looked at the light blue ones "...Thought I got you little buggers..." she said, snagging one and tossing it away from her, she hit it with a needle-thin icicle. "This serves as target practice should I ever take up archery anyway." she said, reaching out for another one. She knew she'd taken her time, but this was getting fun,

Yuan was slightly startled at the boulder, but got over it as he watched her needle the last of the targets. He nodded, unsmilingly. "Well done. You have a good grasp on magic, if a bit slow in reaction. We'll have to run you through that drill again at some point."

She shook her head lightly. "I think most of my problem was confusing colors... . Last time I checked, air wasn't green." she said as she snagged the last target that was desperately trying to get away. She tossed it against a wall and needle'd it.

He chuckled lightly. "I never did understand why airs attribute was green, but that's the Sylph for you." he said, watching the last target burst into a hundred pieces.

She shrugged lightly, turning to him once the blue target was dead "Wha' next?" she said, folding her hands behind her back.

He considered her for a long moment. "...Draw your weapon," he said after a short pause. "Your ability to fight in hand-to-hand combat will be judged now."

She grinned lightly, nodding. She pulled out her spear, and attached the head to it. She nodded. "Mm'k. Ready."

He closed his eyes in thought and, after a moment, removed his cloak, it vanishing into thin air as the flag had. With a twirl of his hand, an odd, double-bladed saber appeared, and he swirled it gracefully through the air for a moment before facing Sendra. "Come and get me," he said, smirking slightly as he brandished his weapon. "I dare you."

Sendra grinned, twirling her spear a little bit. She stopped it, planted it in the ground, pole-vaulted similarly to when she was on the stones, but higher, above Yuan's head, and over him. She had intended to get behind him for some element of surprise, or confusion. Either really.

Whiiich didn't exactly work as he just rolled his eyes and turned on his heel, one blade of his odd weapon whistling in the air beside him for a moment. He spun it and brought a blunt edge toward Sendra's head, trying to knock her sideways.

Sendra ducked, rolling in the opposite direction of his weapon and thrusting her spear forward at him. She kept low for the moment.

He moved swiftly, blocking the thrust with a blade on his saber and side-stepping, momentarily moving out of her range of motion before swinging the blade around and attacking again from the side.

She rolled backwards and landed on her heels, using the contracted state of her legs, she sprung forward, once again using her spear to gain distance, she ended up behind Yuan again. She ducked down again and swung her spear, hitting him in the side hard enough to break a normal human's bone, or at least leave a very, very bad bruise. Though she doubted this did much to Yuan.

He winced lightly, more angry with himself that he'd let a blow in then affected by said blow. He grabbed her spear with his free hand and wrenched it forward, attempting to get it out of her grasp for a moment, though it wouldn't surprise him if she came with it.

She did, in fact, and used the added thrust to push his shoulder to the side and run past him, in the process kicking her leg backwards and into the back of his knee, trying to trip him. She did a quick roll so she was both out of the way of his weapon and facing him once more.

He steadied himself with his weapon to keep from falling, driving a blade into the rock of the platform they were on and creating a small crack in the otherwise solid stone. He wrenched it out of the stone without a problem and leapt toward Sendra, managing to catch her boot on the lower blade of his saber.

She stuck her spear in the stone behind her and pushed off from it, into the fall, and rolled out of it. She'd spent most of her life in combat; she was not going to go down that easily. The point being to catch herself. She did another pole-vault, but took this one a bit differently. This time she aimed for Yuan instead of over, aiming her boots at his chest and holding her spear up to block his weapon should he decide to swing it at her.

Rather then swinging it at her, he just let the weapon take the kick, driving the lower blade into the stone again and ducking around it as her boot made contact with the flat side of the metal. Taking advantage of her momentum, he dodged around and attempted to put her into a headlock, leaving his weapon embedded temporarily in the rock.

She lifted one boot up and hooked it on the rest of the weapon, pushing herself upwards and tossing herself forward, hitting the ground hands-first and rolling into the fall.

He grabbed his saber and wrenched it out of the rock again, swinging it around and narrowing his eyes at Sendra. "You're quick," he said, nodding shortly. He twirled his saber around and aimed at her, stepping forward as he did so to lessen her ability to dodge.

She once again ducked and put her weight on her hands, kicking forward at his knees. "I thought the agility course should have proved that." she said absently, concentrating on how he'd react.

He brought his saber down sideways a split second before the kick connected, any later and he'd have caught her feet with the blade rather painfully. Smirking, he spun it around again and slashed at her midsection, aiming to just slash the skin rather then do any real damage.

She rolled herself away from the swipe, barely missing a nick in her side. She growled lightly, cursing for not being able to get off the ground as quick as she liked.

He took the opportunity to step on the sheath over her arm, holding a blade of his saber to her neck. "Dead." he said simply, pushing the blade lightly into her skin, though not enough to actually break it. "Or do you think you can get out of this with your head?"

She looked down at the blade. "Smart, pushing it down enough so it's caught between the chin and the chest, and can't get out the side without damage, let alone being left vulnerable..." she mused absently. Mostly just avoiding admitting defeat. She let out a breath. "A'ight, dead."

He stepped back, and offered a hand to help her to her feet. "You're good against the humans you're used to, compared to them you are a goddess. I'd like to see more training against the angels, though."

She took his hand, not daring to try to pull him down with it. She could accept defeat; it just took a minute or two. She let him help her up and she dusted herself off. "Eh, I hadn't fought an angel before. I spent most of my life fighting humans."

He smirked. "Just don't pick Yggdrasill as your sparring partner for a while," he said, lowering his saber and holding it loosely at his side. "Though he may not look it, he can wield a sword like it was part of his own body. Trained by Kratos since he was very young, after all."

She laughed a little. "I don't plan on challenging him in much of anything." she said, putting her spear away. "I may not act like it more than half the time, but I do recognize him as much more powerful than me. I don't show it mostly because it takes the fun out of a friendship. :/"

He paused. "Friendship, huh? I remember that." he said dryly, smirking slightly. "Can't exactly call my relationship with Yggdrasill a friendship anymore though. Ah well."

She blinked at him. "Oh, whyzzat?"

He was silent for a few moments, apparently trying to figure out how to word it. "We've just grown apart, is all." he said finally. "That happens after 3500 years or so."

She smiled lightly. "Mm. Well that's understandable." she paused a moment. "If Martel returns, will things go back to normal with all of you?"

He was silent for a few more moments. "...I doubt it," he said simply, shaking his head. "Too much has happened in the time that has passed."

She nodded lightly. "You do want to see Martel back, right?" she asked. She couldn't tell if it was just the way he was or not, but it seemed like he wasn't too enthusiastic about it.

"Of course," he said at once, though his somewhat-dull tone of voice had not changed. "It's just... It won't be the same."

She tilted her head up a little. "Well that's understandable..." she said, examining him closely. She shrugged a little. "Mm... So, wha's next then?"

He looked around at her, the one eye that was visible a little softer then it had been before. "I have no more tests for you. You have the potential to become great with practice. I no longer have doubts as to why Yggdrasill chose to appoint you so high in the ranks so fast."

She smiled a bit at that, bowing. "Thank you... And now I believe I'll get to what I was supposed to do right after I got here." she laughed a little, unsheathing her spear. "Before I went gallivanting off with Mithos. Even I have a serious side where I do what I'm supposed to."

He looked curious. "What was it you were supposed to do?" he asked, wondering what kind of orders she would have been given that quickly.

"Oh, just something Mithos said I should look into." she mumbled, picking at something, not that she knew what, that had attached itself to her spear. Glob of mud?...WHAT mud? Uhh...

Though curious, he decided not to pry. "Is there anywhere you'd like to be taken, or are you more capable of getting around on your own then you were when last we traveled?"

"I ought to be fine." she said, finally satisfied that the impurity on her spear was gone, she saluted lightly and teleported off.


	26. Leader? Sendra? HAH!

She wound up somewhere inside Derris-Kharlan, quite thankful she made it there. She looked around trying to figure out exactly where... she was...

Naturally, Derris-Kharlan being such a large place, she had managed to end up... on a platform that was identical to the one she had just left. Nearby, a lone female angel with fluffy black feathered wings sat on the edge, humming to herself. Two shortish swords sat next to her, and her nearly-completely black outfit was adorned with a lot of lace. Dark hair set in elaborately curled pigtails, it bounced merrily as she moved about in time with her own humming. She seemed totally unaware of Sendra's sudden appearance.

"Nnng." she stopped herself making a noise. Crap, she'd meant for somewhere a bit closer to the castle. She quickly made her wings appear so she might fit in more. She looked around, in a very, very vague attempt of getting her bearings, just hoping that the dark-haired...person...angel... didn't notice her.

Not much to look around at, nothing was in sight but more platforms and pathways. The angel, still blissfully unaware of Sendra's presence, sang a few words in some long-lost language as she twitched her wings and plucked a feather out of one of them without looking at it. She dropped it off the side of the platform and watched it fall into the depths.

Sendra looked over at the angel "...'Ello." she said, trying not to surprise her.

Didn't work, as the angel let out a screech and tumbled head-first over the platform. A burst of feathers could vaguely be seen as she unfurled her wings and beat them once powerfully, landing back on the platform. Facing Sendra now, she knelt to pick up her swords but froze once down, hand hovering over her swords and bright blue eyes fixed on Sendra's wings. Her surprise turned to a worried fright, and she fretted about for a moment before turning her defensive kneel into a bow. "Hellomadamleaderpleasedonothurtme," she said in a rush, eyes fixed now on the stone floor before her.

Sendra held in a laugh. "Hey, hey, calm down and I won't. Jeez. Sorry for the scare...And get up . " she said, blinking. Well that was unusual. Must be because she had wings like Mithos...

The angel rushed to obey, picking up her swords as she stood. She held one in each hand, standing oddly straight and looking as though she was waiting for an order from Sendra. She still looked kinda scared, though determined... and really, really blank.

Sendra swallowed once "...Um. At...ease?" she attempted to get this angel to calm down.

She merely turned her head to the side, still standing rigid. "At... ease..." she said slowly, as if processing the words. "Ease..." she repeated, and she blinked several times, eyes suddenly showing a bit more life behind them. "...You are not a leader," she said, relaxing slightly. She had a slow, delicate and precise voice, as if she wasn't used to speaking in this language. "Leaders never show themselves unless they have important orders to give."

"Or if they just over-shot the castle. " she muttered. "Lets just say my 'rank' is undetermined."

She still looked wary, but nodded after a moment. She slipped her swords into the belt she wore just above her lacey skirt, and relaxed a bit more. "Who are you, and why are you this far out, then?"

"As I said, over-shot...under-shot...the castle. Was out here training." she said. "I'mnotthatwonderfulatteleporting." she said quickly and quietly.

"...You are new around here," the angel said, nodding to herself. "And you are one of power. You have the wings of Mana," she nodded toward the shining wings at Sendra's back. "I am an Angel Swordian. My name is Melody." she bowed slightly. "I would be pleased to guide you to castle Vinheim."

Sendra nodded lightly. "Would be helpful. Not so much new as just un-used to the terrain..." she said, sheathing her spear and watching this new angel.

Melody straightened up. "I am unable to teleport, but we can go to the city and access the teleportation portal that leads to the castle from there." She turned and began walking toward one of the pathways, still rather rigid.

Sendra nodded lightly. "I appreciate the help." she followed Melody. Eventually, EVENTUALLY she would learn her way around this place...

Internal programming that came with the crystal Melody wore on her chest fought with her own personality as she walked, personality wanting to learn more of the person she was guiding but Crystal telling her "STFU this is a leader!". Therefore, she remained silent, walking toward what seemed like an endless passage of platforms and pathways.

Sendra followed her, peeking around her wings a moment. "You know, you're welcome to speak. Just because I'm of the Mana lineage doesn't mean I'm suddenly better than everyone else anyway." she said, shaking her head a little. "My position is complicated, but if anything the silence makes me uncomfortable."

Melody moved her wing and looked over her shoulder at Sendra, eyes fighting between dark and lifeless VS bright and cheery. She twitched slightly and reverted to dark and lifeless. "Y-...you wish for me to speak?" she asked, looking confused. "You are unlike the other Leaders..."

Sendra laughed a little. "I've MET some of the other leaders, I can assure you I am very different."

Melody nodded vaguely, eyes fading out-of-focus for a moment before becoming a bit brighter. "W...Will you tell me your name?" she asked timidly, looking unsure of herself.

"Sendra." she said, smiling brightly. "Nice to meet you, Melody!"

Melody smiled slowly, nodding. "Y-yes. Sendra... I like that name." she said, relaxing a bit and not walking so rigidly. "Do you know if it means anything?"

She shook her head a little. "I'm lucky enough I know the name my mother gave me. She died when I was five." she said, oddly casually.

Melody didn't reply at once, trying to remember her own parents. "...It has been so long that I do not remember my parents." she said shortly. "Both died before... before..." she seemed to be tripping over her own words. She muttered in another language for a moment, then shook her head to clear it. "Before I... turned into an adult." she sighed. "I am not as good with the common tongue as I should be. Forgive me."

Sendra nodded. "'Tis all right. Although, if I may ask, I heard you singing before. What was that?"

"It is a song of hope," Melody said, nodding. She seemed to be gaining control over her crystal now, talking more freely and without rigidity. "Many angels sing it when they find themselves facing things they do not want to."

Sendra tilted her head to the side. "Mm, really? And you're facing something you don't want to do..?"

Melody hung her head lightly. "Patrol is rotating soon. Certain angels must patrol the reaches of Derris-Kharlan and keep it from crumbling away. The angels that have been out there for this stretch are coming back to Welgaia soon, and I am one to replace them." she hesitated. "I... Am frightened of the monsters that live in the outer areas. We are close to Welgaia here, no monsters come, but out there..."

Sendra smiled a little bit. "When I surprised you, you caught yourself. When you got back to the platform, you immediately went for your weapon. That alone shows you have strength." she said, nodding lightly "You will do fine."

She swallowed, but nodded. "That is what my ... my..." she struggled again. "...Su... Supervisor...?... Tells me too." she looked at Sendra to see if she had understood.

Sendra nodded to show she did. "Believe us, then." she laughed a little. "Your supervisor's probably seen you fight better than just reaching for your swords."

Melody looked down again, still unsure. "I... am frightened..." she muttered. "But I must do what I am told. I will go, and I will be brave."

"Being scared will only make you nervous. I'd suggest stopping it soon. It's not worth it to be scared, it's harder, but more productive, to be strong." Sendra smiled compassionately.

Melody nodded. "Strong." she said, holding her head higher. "I am strong. I will be strong." she looked over her shoulder at Sendra again, nodding determinedly. "Yes. Thank you, Leader Sendra."

Sendra laughed a little. Being treated with...well, respect, was relatively new to her. She nodded. "You're welcome."

Melody looked forward again, they were nearing what looked like a dead end now, pathways leading to a platform with nothing but a large wall on it were all that was visible. "Near the portal now. We get to walk through Welgaia, too..." she sighed. "You seemed surprised at my ... dollish?... way of reacting to you." she glanced over her shoulder again. "I am one of the strong angels that can resist their crystal."

Sendra blinked a little. "Resist? Forgive me, but no matter if I'm a leader or not, I'm very clueless." she said, looking curious.

"Our crystals take over our hearts." she said, gesturing to the crest on her collarbone, slightly obscured by a lacey overshirt. "We retain our personality, but it is buried. Our true selves masked by the power we gain with our crystals. Welgaia is a city that never sleeps, we never laugh, we never play. We are... stationary."

Sendra sighed a little. "That's one thing, the place gets depressing. :/"

Melody nodded. "We lose more of ourselves when a Leader or one of power is nearby. We must obey all orders and commands, and never challenge the word of a Leader. It is our duty as servants of the Goddess, after all, to carry out her bidding while she sleeps."

"I see. Well, I am sorry about that, then. I'm just glad I didn't end up in the middle of nowhere. I rather like breathing, really." she said, shaking her head a little. "I fly better than I teleport."

She smiled vaguely. "I like you. You seem to have a kind heart. You could awaken Welgaia again from its ... its... long sleep." she giggled. "A city that never sleeps, sleeping for a long time. That cannot be correct..."

"Well it sure as heck acts sleepy, no sleep or not." she said, shaking her head a little. "You'd think with the lack of sleep it'd be a partying city."

"We have no reason to... party," she said, beginning the long walk up several flights of stairs to get to the dead-end platform. "The earth below suffers while the Goddess sleeps. Why would we celebrate?"

"Who says you need to celebrate to party?" she smiled lightly. "Anything really. I mean, if you can keep your mind in this city, you must get pretty bored."

"My friends are of the strong," she said, then paused to run back over that sentence in her language. After a moment, she shrugged. "So long as no leaders show themselves, we are more free then other angels. If you make your wings disappear when we get there, you will see. Wings of Mana show that you are one of power."

Sendra laughed lightly. "Still sorry about that. . " she said, looking back at her wings. They were pretty, at least.

"Do not worry," she said, smiling. "While you are one of power, I feel free around you. I do not understand this, but I will not question it either."

"I don't flaunt it...Honestly you're the first angel I've been around who's treated me as a superior." she said, hooking her thumbs in her belt as she walked.

Melody looked over her shoulder, amazed. "Really? You are a Leader, though! Or... have you only been around the Supreme Lord?" she twitched slightly at the mention of Yggdrasill and looked forward again.

Sendra paused...A leader other than Mith--OH! Okay. "Him and a few other higher-up angels, really. :/" she said, shrugging lightly.

"Lord Yuan, Lord Kratos..." she counted on her fingers. "...I know of no other higher angels. Remiel likes to THINK he is higher then everyone else, though..."

Sendra laughed. "Remiel is a bit annoyed with me, I think. Although I forget exactly what I did to annoy him... It may have just been that he didn't approve of me as a whole. I wouldn't put it past him anyway." she said, giggling a little. "But yes, that's pretty much it. Yuan, Kratos and...um...Lord Yggdrasill?" she was very unused to referring to him-- any of them -- as "lord", let alone refer to Mithos as Yggdrasill.

Melody nodded. "Those will be the only ones that might outrank you," she said. "And even then, Lord Kratos and Lord Yuan may be even with you, depending on how Lord Yggdrasill feels." she paused, nearing the top of the staircase now. She looked over her shoulder at Sendra. "...You hesitated when you mentioned Lord Yggdrasill. Why?"

Sendra blushed very faintly. This would be fun to explain...only not. "Because I don't call him Lord Yggdrasill."

Melody stopped dead, then slowly turned to face Sendra, standing on the stair above her. "You... you do not?" she asked slowly, thinking she must have misheard.

Sendra sighed lightly. "No, I do not. He allows me to call him by his real name. I would advise you not to do so, I'm just...privileged, I guess."

Melody stared dumbly, mouth slightly open in a gape. "A... He... ... Not many within Welgaia even know of his other name," she muttered. "Much less are allowed to speak it. You must be very highly-valued indeed."

Sendra laughed lightly. "I amuse him, I believe. Which is why I can get away with...a lot of what I get away with." she said, standing beside Melody.

Melody blinked, looking confused again. "I...see." she said slowly. "You are very, very different from anyone I have met in Derris-Kharlan." she said, smiling vaguely as she turned and continued up the remaining steps.

Sendra kept following her. "That I know, many, many people have told me. As of right now, I'm pretty proud of that." she smiled.

"I hope you are able to stay that way." she said simply, topping the stairs and wandering toward a large, glimmering circle on the ground; unmistakably a teleportation spot.

"Not even a million years could knock the personality outta me." she grinned, shaking her hair out of the way.

Melody smiled vaguely. "I hope so," she said, walking onto the circle. It glowed brightly for a moment before she vanished into thin air.

Sendra stepped on the circle as well, vanishing.


	27. Ren

Melody was already halfway across the platform they were on, in a very different place. The city of Welgaia, like Derris-Kharlan, seemed to float in nothingness, though the buildings were large and built out of light-colored material. It wasn't stone... nor wood... it was just kind of weird. Building after tall building were visible in the distance, though the teleportation panel had spat Sendra and Melody out in what appeared to be the outskirts of town, as the reaches of outer-space were clearly visible though the bubble-dome above and to one side.

Sendra caught up with Melody and her wings disappeared. "There." she said, hooking her thumbs in her belt again as she walked.

Melody wandered toward what looked like a covered pathway, though as they approached it was revealed to be more like a covered... moving sidewalk. Here and there, an angel floated about, not many actually walking or indeed near the ground at all. Some of them glanced toward Sendra and Melody, others totally ignored them. Melody remained silent herself, stepping onto the moving pathway.

Sendra was quiet as well, feeling as if any noise and this town would fall apart or something. She walked where Melody walked, not wanting to get lost. She doubted she could get directions from anyone anyway.

As the sidewalk moved them along, Melody stopped walking after a bit, content to just let it take them. She looked ahead and stared for a moment, before smacking herself on the forehead. Restraining laughter, she pointed ahead, where a white-winged male angel in cream-colored robes, carrying a staff, was walking the opposite direction of where the sidewalk was moving, like trying to walk up a downward-moving escalator. He seemed quite content about it, and was one of the only angels not actually using his wings.

Sendra laughed a little "Well, it's one way to relieve boredom..." she muttered.

The amber-haired angel looked forward at them and waved his staff, looking fairly happy. Melody sighed. "Ren, you are an IDIOT." she called, speaking so clearly that it was obvious she said those words a lot. The angel ahead merely laughed and sped up, working hard to make any progress at all on the moving sidewalk. Melody shook her head. "A friend of mine," she muttered. "He likes to push his luck."

"But it looks fun." Sendra half-whined, though she was grinning, so it wasn't all that convincing.

Ren gave up after a moment, beating his wings and flying to catch up with the girls. He landed in front of Melody and mock-bowed, smirking. He then noticed Sendra, and watched her for a moment, before looking at Melody and gabbling something in the Angelic tongue. Melody looked over her shoulder at Sendra. "He wants to know why you do not have wings. :/"

Sendra face-palmed lightly. "Uhhh...:/ I'm special like that?" she offered.

Melody looked at Ren and said something in her language, to which Ren looked at Sendra with mild interest. He cleared his throat. "You, uh..." he smirked. His accent was a bit thicker then Melody's was. "You're an awfully pretty one, aren't you?"

Melody smacked herself on the forehead again. "Idiot."

Sendra laughed. "Mm, and what's that supposed to mean, hm?" she said, eyes glinting. If he was hitting on her, she may as well have some fun with it. :B

"I haven't seen anyone without wings for a long time." he said, leaning against the (unmoving) side rail and nearly toppling over. Melody shook her head sadly.

Sendra grinned. "I see, so you've been up here for a while then?" she said, walking her hand on two fingers along the side rail.

He straightened himself, clearing his throat. "Long as I can remember," he said. "I can even remember when Melody first got here!"

Melody snorted, her arms crossed huffily in front of her. "That was... six-hundred years ago?" she muttered. A long time, anyway.

Sendra smiled deviously. "Oh, well that wasn't that long ago, then." she said, running her hand along the side rail smoothly.

Ren blinked at that. "I've... never seen you around before," he said, looking her up and down. "And I'd recognize a pretty face like that"

Melody was restraining laughter now.

"Oh, I haven't been here very long. A week or so." she smiled. "But I know one who's three-thousand years or more old, six hundred isn't too long in comparison."

He blinked several times. "I know of no angels that old other then the Leaders," he said. "But yes, compared to that number, six or seven hundred is a small number."

"Leaders?" she asked, playing clueless. Wheeee.

Melody looked over her shoulder nervously at Sendra, but Ren didn't notice. "You don't know of our Leaders?" he asked, astonished. "But then how could you know of angels so old..."

Sendra smiled "Well, if you mean Kratos, Yuan, and Lord Yggdrasill...Then yeah, I know them." she refrained from just saying "Mithos", more because she knew he wouldn't want her to say it. But it would have been funnier.

He blinked, and Melody bit her lip, half to keep from laughing and half out of worry. Ren was silent for a moment, before looking at Melody and saying something in the Angelic language again. She rolled her eyes. "He says you are strange and wants to know why you freely call two of our leaders purely by their names."

Ren sweatdropped. "I hadn't intended for you to repeat what I said, Melodyyyy..."

Sendra giggled. "It's because I know them on a first-name basis, yes, even Lord Yggdrasill, I'm just not supposed to say his name around others. And thank you for the compliment, being strange is a wonderful thing." she said, cracking her neck. "Though I'm sure Kratos and Yuan wouldn't appreciate me not calling them "Lord", but they can deal with it."

Ren gaped at her. "Y... You are on first-name terms with... ALL of our leaders?" he said weakly. That seemed to fly right over his head.

Melody shook her head; they were finally nearing the end of the sidewalk. "She is a ... very special case." Melody said, looking over her shoulder at Sendra again.

Sendra nodded a little. "It would be fitting to call me a jester, 'cuz most of why I am on first-name terms with them is because I amuse Lord Yggdrasill. An amazing feat, according to Yuan." she said, brushing one of her bangs behind her ear.

Ren nodded, amazed. "A... a court jester..." he smiled slightly. "I never would have imagined."

Melody stepped off of the moving sidewalk and took several hurried steps away from it, and wisely, as Ren had not realized they were near the end (too engrossed in talking to Sendra) and had toppled over sideways at the abrupt stop in moving terrain. He popped upward again with deft speed. "M'alright!"

Sendra laughed, stepping beside him. "Well, you're an interesting chap, then." she said, following behind Melody.

Ren tagged along, apparently lacking anything better to do. Several angels they passed nodded or waved, others ignored them totally again. Melody led the other two toward a tall office-looking building. "Must... remember where the devil the teleportation panel is in here..." she murmured. "Place is way too biiiig..."

Sendra laughed a little. "Well you've gotten me this far. I will have to work on my teleporting skills...:/" she said, pulling her spear out and using it as a walking stick.

"You can TELEPORT?" Ren asked, amazed. "I thought only Leaders could do that well. Now I have to leeeeeearn."

Melody remained silent as they entered the building, several angels inside. They were paid no mind as Melody went straight for the upward-staircases.

"Yes, I can teleport, very badly." Sendra laughed. "I was built for manual travel, better at flying...erm..." Drat, forgot she didn't have wings.

He raised an eyebrow. "You can fly without wings? Interesting." he muttered. He looked at Melody and said something in the angel language, to which she merely shook her head. She glanced at Sendra nervously. "...Do you know any of the angel language?" she asked. Surely, a Leader would be able to understand them... but...

Sendra shook her head. "Nay, sadly. Didn't realize it existed until I met you two." she said. Whee, keeping a cover wasn't an easy thing to do when you're in the Angel city.

Ren nodded. "I thought not. If you've only been here for a week I guess that's to be expected." He paused, then smirked, leaning a bit closer to Sendra. "If, uh, you'd like a teacher, I'd be happy to..."

Melody shook her head, rolling her eyes as she turned at the top of the stairs and faced a long hallway of nothing but doors. "..."

Sendra raised an eyebrow at him. "Mm, you're offering then? Let's start now. Wha'd you just say to Melody?" she grinned.

Melody walked down the hallway, looking left and right at the doors dubiously, trying to find the one they needed.

Ren considered for a moment. "Ah, I... Asked her if she knew how you could fly without wings." he said, smirking. Melody nodded distractedly, showing that he wasn't lying.

Sendra laughed lightly. "Mm, it...takes practice." she shiftyeye'd.

"I see..." he said, nodding. "Interesting... ... where are we going, anyway?"

Melody sighed. "Vinhiem," she said shortly, looking annoyed at the unhelpfulness of the totally unmarked doors.

Sendra shrugged lightly. "Well, I'll keep your offer in mind, Ren." she said, smiling.

He kind of grinned but Melody smacked him in the gut with the back of her hand, looking cross. He winced. "Owwww... what was that for?"

"OOPS," she said, totally faking it as she opened a door at random. She glanced inside and closed it again. Sigh.

Sendra laughed a little. Ren was amusing, and she would have to visit him again. She brushed her other bang away from her face and behind her ear. To be honest she had no idea where Melody was leading them.

An angel floated out of a door ahead of them and Melody took the opportunity to ask for directions. The angel looked them all over, eyes finally falling on Sendra. He narrowed them. "You have a human with you." he said, sounding slightly disgusted.

"She's not a human, you..." Ren said, though something seemed to stop him from finishing his sentence. He stood there, looking confused for a moment, before gesturing to her Crystal. "She has a crystal."

She nodded quickly. "Yep. Not human."

The angel sneered. "Where's your wings then?" he asked. He seemed to be of a higher rank then the other angels they had seen yet, his armor was more elaborate then any clothing the others had been wearing. Melody looked at Sendra nervously.

Sendra sighed a little, looking over at Melody in an apologetic way. There wasn't an easy way out of this, so she simply looked back at the other angel and did a mock sneer. "You asked for it." She said simply, making her wings appear and floating an inch or so off the ground. "Happy now?"

Ren seized up, looking shocked at the sudden appearance of wings, much less /Mana/ wings. The other angel, likewise, looked shocked and slightly appalled at the appearance of her wings. He floated there, just staring for a moment, before pointing to the door he had come through. "The portal is in there." he said shortly, turning and stalking around the group toward the stairs. Melody sighed. "At least we know where to go now."

Sendra forced her wings away immediately and dropped to the floor. " Sorry about that." she muttered to Ren. "Now you know, though."

Ren just gaped, then blinked roughly several times. "That... explains... a lot..." he muttered.

Melody said nothing, wandering toward the door the other angel had indicated.

Sendra followed Melody. "It should." she shrugged. "I've been wandering around the world below for most of my time as an Angel. Don't know that much about up here."

He nodded vaguely, following into the room as well. Melody had already stepped onto the large teleport panel, and was just vanishing from sight by the time Ren had entered the room. As it was the only thing in the room, it was basically the only thing they could do to step on it.

Sendra looked over at him. "Don't give me any "leader" crap, a'ight? I'm too clueless to deserve it anyway." she said, stepping onto the teleport panel.

He stepped onto the panel after her, and all three stood facing the large doors of Vinheim castle, guarded by an extremely large snow leopard. The leopard opened one eye and regarded the three of them, big blue eye finally resting on Sendra. "You again..." she yawned lazily.

"Yep, me 'gain." Sendra commented, looking back at Melody. "Thank you for the guide. I'dve been running around all day without you."

Melody bowed. "Of course. I was happy to help you."

Ren looked anxious, smiling nervously at Sendra. "I'd, uh... still be willing to teach you our language..." he muttered. He actually seemed sincere this time though, rather then the sneering suggestiveness he had mentioned it in before.

Sendra smiled at him. "I'll have to hold you to that offer. At the moment, I have to look into something for Lord Yggdrasill..." she said, turning to enter the castle. She waved behind her, and went inside.


	28. Behind Locked Doors

Nothing stirred; she seemed to be the only inhabitant of the corridors at the moment.

Sendra sighed lightly. "Well, already lost and I just got in here." she said, walking along the corridors. She was going to try and find a room that might have a chance of telling her where the Renegades are...

Doors here and there sat along the walls, inconspicuous due to the low amount of light. None had any markings whatsoever. Take yer pick!

She shook her head lightly, just hoping she didn't run into something she shouldn't. She opened a door.

The door revealed a large, well-kept room with comfy-looking furniture in it and nothing but bookcases on the walls. It looked like the room hadn't been touched for a long time.

And she highly doubted this one could tell her what she wanted. She closed the door again and tried another. She doubted any of the rooms this close to the entrance could tell her.

The stairs branched both upward and down at the next landing, everything still identical to ... everything else. Helpful.

She made her wings appear and floated up the stairs, faster than she would have gone up them just walking. She looked around once landing on the floor above. "Heeere...something helpful..." she muttered.

A door with a seriously large number of locks on it a ways down the hall just screamed "I HAVE COOL STUFF BEHIND ME"

She stared at the door, running it through in her head. "Okay, there's definitely cool stuff behind it, but it could just as easily be something I'm not supposed to see, no matter how "high ranked" I am...Lets seeeee..." she walked over to the door and attempted opening it, not really thinking it'd open.

Which it didn't. The padlocks clattered, and it sounded like there were at least two chain-locks kept bolted on the inside as well.

She smiled lightly, taking one of the locks in her hands. "Locked, hmm..." she peered at it, having picked a few locks in her day, she reached into a pouch on her belt, and picked up a small piece of wireish metal with a bend in it, and started picking.

Rather then unlocking, it eventually let out a jolt of electricity that was only enhanced by the metal she was using. Inside the room, a low siren seemed to have been triggered.

Sendra jumped, withdrawing her hand and glaring at the lock a moment. "Drat." she mumbled, teleporting down a level to where she was before. She was nowhere near that room, honest!

The siren got louder steadily before suddenly stopping. Apparently someone had teleported into the room and shut it off, since the door hadn't rattled open at all.

Sendra poked her head into another room, sighing lightly. Being incredibly convincing in her innocence and totally-wasn't-there-ness.

The door eventually clattered open and then shut again, and footsteps echoed down through the stairwell as whoever it was approached. It was revealed to be Yuan, looking cross indeed as he descended the stairs. He saw Sendra and his eyes narrowed. "What are you doing in this part of the castle?" he asked without preamble.

She peeked out from behind a door, waving. "Being lost." she answered simply, shutting said door for it had nothing interesting behind it "Wha' was that, anyway? Scared me for a second, thought I did something."

His gaze did not lessen. "...An alarm. Someone attempted to access a classified room upstairs. Have you seen anyone else around here?"

"No one down here, no." she shook her head. "I just got here after getting lost in Welgaia. "

"In Welgaia?... You are extremely lucky to have found a way to the castle then." he said, descending the rest of the stairs to stand on the same level she was. "Where are you headed? It's not wise for you to linger in the hallways like this, particularly with alarms going off. It could lead to..." he narrowed his eyes again. "...Unnecessary accusations."

"I'm also very lucky to have run into someone who guided me as far as the front door here." she said smoothly. "Right now I'm looking for somewhere that might give me a clue to where the Renegades are. I'm well aware it's probably already been checked on dozens of times, but I'd like to try anyway." she said, watching him closely for a reaction.

He gave her a level and stern glare for a moment. "...Interesting." he said quietly. "Are you sure you have seen no others in the hallways in your being so... 'lost'?"

"I've been here for a total of sixty seconds." she laughed. "No, I haven't seen anyone."

He was silent for a few moments. "...The room that the alarm had been triggered in holds records of the Renegade's movements." he said finally, apparently deciding that it didn't hurt for her to know. "But it also holds many other similarly classified documents. I don't care how highly Lord Yggdrasill values you; I cannot allow you inside without word directly from him."

She blinked. "Tha's understandable. I'm surprised it's that close to the entrance, but it's understandable you'll want word from him anyway. I don't care how highly he values me either, as far as I'm concerned I'm not qualified to give orders, and don't expect others to follow. I'm just happy I'm not often questioned." she said, smiling lightly. "For now anyway."

He raised an eyebrow. "Is there reason for you to be questioned?" he asked, "Or are you simply grateful for never being... wrongly accused?"

She blinked. "...Excuse my wording. I mean to say that I am free-er than some others. I think I'd get bored if I wasn't."

"Uh-huh..." he said, not totally sounding convinced. "Just don't take advantage of that. You'll find your freedom revoked if you are caught somewhere you shouldn't be."

She smiled. "Which is why I'm not that fond of being lost, I don't want to accidentally stumble on somewhere I shouldn't be."

"Not much I can help you with there." he said. "Creating a map would be dangerous, and I have far too little time to show you around. You will do well to stick to Welgaia if you want to explore. The secure areas of Welgaia are much easier to tell from public territory then the ones within Vinheim."

"Mm. And there's something there to help me find the Renegades?" she smiled lightly. If there wasn't, she'd just to her best flying around Tethe'alla and Sylvarant on an aerial view until she could get permission from Mithos to look into it. She doubted he remembered he'd sent her on that mission anyway.

"Information like that isn't kept in Welgaia." he said briskly. "The secure areas there are more military. They need to know very little about the Renegades."

She 'hmm'd. "Enh, then I think I might be better off looking over a map. I trust those aren't secured since I've already looked at a few of them anyway."

"A map of Tethe'alla and Sylvarant, I assume?" he said, turning a hand palm-up. A scroll appeared there and he handed it to her. "You can keep that. It's blank other then main cities, landmarks, and roadways. Make as many notes and mark as many smaller roads and towns as you care to."

She nodded. "Thank you." she said, taking the scroll before pausing. "Anything you can tell me about the Renegades, then?"

"Only that they are slippery and irritating." He said, looking slightly annoyed at the thought of them. "They seem to move wherever Cruxis does, only one step ahead. They're damn well-hidden as well, in as many years as they've been giving us trouble we've never been able to find a base."

She smiled. "I see. Well I wasn't here for those years, so I might as well take a crack at it." she said, slipping the scroll under her arm. "I believe I'm going to go down to Meltokio, study the map there." she smiled at Yuan, wings flickering away. "Ta And thanks for the map." she said, disappearing.


	29. Friendly Help

Sendra reappeared in the middle of Meltokio, sighing lightly. She hoped Earnia wouldn't be against the second intrusion in three days. :/

Mid-morning bustle filled the streets but no one looked around at Sendra, most people just wanting to get their shopping or other business done as quickly as possible.

Which is what she was happy about. Meltokio was big enough, who'd care. She headed for the weaponry shop first, and then to Earnia's once she'd finished her shopping. Although, she had a new addition to her outfit.

A girl in a long dress strolled down the residential streets, her hair hidden under a large hat. She twirled a parasol in her hands and looked nervous, humming oddly. One single strand of bright red hair could be seen from under her hat, a dead giveaway for anyone paying enough attention... which she herself was most certainly not. She stared at the ground, trying not to look anyone in the eye.

Sendra, sadly, wasn't watching where she was going. Heading directly for whoever it was in the dress. She was too busy staring at the sky and pouring over what she should do next.

Due to the inattentiveness the two were walking with... CRASH. The woman in the dress toppled backwards, uttering several apologies as she hurried to scoop up her hat, which had fallen and allowed her long bright red hair to fly all over the place. It was Earnia. What a shock.

Sendra stumbled backwards but otherwise she didn't fall. "...Oh! Hi, Earnia." she said, laughing. On her back was her usual spear, and a second one crossed next to it. This one's handle was green like the other's, but it had no ribbons on it, aside from a wrap of cloth around the middle to help someone hold on. It was decorated with a ring of small emeralds near the spearhead.

Earnia looked up, startled. "...Hiya!" she said, after registering who it was. "Fancy seeing you here already! 8D Nice new pokey-thing."

She smiled, "Thanks. I just got it, I wanted to train in double weapons. Also, I wanted to stay with you for a bit, if that'd be alright. I've got something I want to look at." she nodded to the scroll under her arm.

"Sure," Earnia said, smiling. "It'll give me a reason to stay indoors. oo; My head maid kicked me out."

Sendra laughed. "Oh really, and why did she do that?"

"She said it was because I need to get out and make new friends here in Meltokio. :/" she muttered, turning around and heading back for her manor. "But I'd rather not."

Sendra skipped along behind her. "Hey, you got me, what could be better than that? :D" She said, putting her arm around Earnia.

"Indeed!" she said happily, weaving her arm around Sendra's shoulders. She skipped in time with Sendra, earning them several scandalized glances by passerby.

Sendra stuck her tongue out at one woman who looked particularly horrified at them, and skipped along.

Quickly enough they were skipping up the drive to Earnia's manor, the Chosen giggling all the while. "I missed you. D" she said once they approached the door, stopping her skipping.

Sendra laughed a little, stopping as well. "I just got finished training with another one of the high-up angels. He said I'm a goddess among humans. :B...However he managed to get a blade to my throat. . "

"He's a fancy angel, whaddya expect?" she asked, grinning and opening the front door. The butler from before rushed up in a hurry as soon as he heard the door open but Earnia ignored him completely. "C'mon, you can hang out in my room for the moment. B"

Sendra followed her, nodding to the butler. "Yeah, I hadn't really expected to win against him. But I got a few hits in that would've done serious damage to a human."

Earnia climbed the stairs, slipping into the first door on the left once on the second floor. A messy bedroom revealed itself, and she fretted about tidying up things. "Messy. D: I don't let the maids in here. You can probably tell."

"Tell, and not really care that much." she said, taking out the scroll and sitting in a chair. It'd be a lot more helpful if she had real info on the Renegades, but if this was the best she could do...

Earnia grinned sheepishly, stuffing nearly everything that was clutter-y into her closet. "Right, so. Didja get kicked out of your position as an awesome angel or do you just love me so much that you wanted to do your homework with me:B"

Sendra laughed. "Narrowly avoided being kicked out, actually. Almost got caught pick-locking my way into a restricted room. :B" she said, unfurling the scroll. "Being able to teleport is awesome. I just teleported one floor down, said I was lost, and got off along with getting a map to do my homework with. 3"

Earnia laughed musically. "Daaaang. You're tricky. Was whoever found you any the wiser?"

"I know he suspects me, and he is one of the higher-up people. But he said the information I was looking for in the first place was behind said door. So if Mithos questions me, I can just as easily get by with saying I was looking for info on the mission he gave me in the first place. Which was true. :D"

She snorted. "You're really damn lucky, you know that?" she said, smirking at Sendra. "I could NEVER get away with something like that."

"I'm just insanely lucky the leader of the angels likes me. Plus, what I needed was behind that door anyway, I just didn't have permission. . What's the harm in it?" she said, looking over the scroll and sighing. "Wish I had said information, though. It'd make this a lot easier."

"If your boss likes you so much, why can't you just ask him to let you in the room?" she asked, dragging a chair over near Sendra and flopping down in it. "Wouldn't it be easy for him to just say you can go in the room, and wow, you suddenly can? X3"

"Probably, but the trick is finding him. I had a hard enough time finding my way to the castle, let alone him. Plus he may not even be in the castle in the first place." she said, following roads on the Tethe'alla map.

"That's... a problem," Earnia said, nodding. "You should, like, slap a tracking bracelet or something on him next time you see him. Make it easier to find him. :D"

Sendra froze over her maps, a grin spreading. For some reason, just the THOUGHT of that made her laugh "...Mfahahaha. Somehow I doubt he'd agree with that."

"I didn't think it would," she said, giggling. "Try it anyway. If he's got a soft spot for ya, he might let you do it. :o"

Sendra laughed. "He's more likely to teach me how to recognize and locate his mana signature...O.O;" she blinked a little bit. "...Wow. I'm surprised I knew what that was."

"I sure don't. x" Earnia said, beaming. She didn't seem too worried about it though. "What exactly are you looking for anyway? Or is it an angely-secret?"

"I can give you a nonspecific idea of what I'm doing." she laughed lightly. "Maybe you can help, for all I know." she said, returning to peering at the map. "I am looking for enemies of the angels, they've been one-step ahead of us for quite some time now-- and not in human years. We figure it's because there's a leak. And there's only two angels high up enough to know the plans that have been leaked. I'm gonna try to find said leak, firstly by finding their base. Which, in the years they've been against us, hasn't been found. They move."

"They move?" Earnia said, furrowing her brow. "An entire base of people working against the angels forsomeweirdreason, moving around? That's IMPOSSIBLE." she leaned over and picked up the Sylvarant side of the map. "...And where the hell is this? D: I don't recognize anything."

She blinked lightly. "Ehh...I forget if you're allowed to know that. . ;" she said, commenting on the Sylvarant part of the map. "You may find out later, but I'm not going to get myself into more trouble. Anyway. If the angel-enemies are lead by an angel, than it's not entirely impossible for them to be able to move."

Earnia sweatdropped, but didn't drop the map. "That'd mean double-dealing..." she muttered, scanning near the northern edge of the map. "I'm still skeptical about them moving. . Angel or not. Maybe they're just REALLY well-hidden... that seems more likely."

"Mmm... It's possible that they're just covering their traps pretty-damn-amazingly well, but with how long the angels have been around..." she trailed off, looking over the map. Around a large, snowy island were a bunch of smaller ones. "...Where's that?" she asked, pointing to the marker for Flanior.

Earnia looked over. "Oh! Area I recognize!" she said happily. She pointed to a large dot in the leftish-center area of the big island. "That's Flanior, a beautiful city in an icy region. Not much around it for miles and miles, I've heard rumors of a Summon Spirit living nearby though."

Sendra nodded; Celsius. She looked over all the islands/rocks around the Flanior region. "Is there anything that you know of on those rocks?"

"Too dangerous for civilization," she said. "People have tried to build resorts and things on the larger of the remote islands but always get stopped by something. Monsters or gigantic tidal waves or other odd occurrences."

She grinned lightly. "I see... I think I have an idea of where to go now." she said, rolling up the maps. "Thanks for helping out with my homework, Earnia. This is becoming a second home for me. x3" she said, standing.

She beamed. "I'm glad. You're fun. :o You should totally call this your true home away from home." she paused. "...Wait. You're going to Flanior? TAKE ME WITH YOU. D:"

Sendra laughed. "I am going near Flanior. If your babysitter out there doesn't mind, I can drop you off there, but I won't stay there for long." she said, rolling the maps up and situating them between the spears on her back. "I'm not sure when I'd be able to get you back here though. But if the people of Flanior recognize you as the Chosen, they can probably arrange you getting back to Meltokio."

She considered for a moment. "Eeh. :/ I'd better take a rain check on that one now that I think about it. My babysitters would throw several fits."

"Y'poor thing." she laughed, "I promise, next time I have a break, which will more than likely be soon, I'll come back and we'll talk your babysitters into letting you come with me to Flanoir." she grinned. "After all, babysitters or not, they still answer to The Chosen."

She beamed. "Tha's true. : I'll hold you to that, then!"

Sendra nodded, saluting. "See y' then." she said, teleporting directly outside of Meltokio, somewhere around the city walls. She paused lightly, she'd never seen Flanoir before... Closest she'd been was Celsius's place, or at least outside it. But even if she teleported there, it'd be damn well impossible to find her way out of the snowstorm, walking or flying. She sighed lightly, best try to get help from someone in Cruxis. Darn her and her lack of experience in this world. She was from Sylvarant, durnit!

She teleported off, ending up in the only place she remembered well enough. The entrance hall of Vinheim. She sighed a little. "I wish I knew this place better..."

She walked up the halls briskly, up the stairs, pausing lightly to look at that chained door. "Who ever decided to put it near the entrance anyway..." she muttered, continuing on. How would she do this... She blinked a little. Yes, yes...Ahaaa... She turned around, going back to that door. "So picklocking doesn't work hmm...How about actually unlocking, hmm?" she held her hand around one lock, conjuring a windspell inside it, attempting to click the lock without being detected by the alarm.

The lock didn't seem to budge, but no alarm went off either. Several moments passed with nothing happening, then from the shadows a voice spoke. "Trying it again, I see." Yuan said, stepping out from a nook in the wall and leaning against the stonework, arms crossed before him, glaring in a stern sort of way at Sendra. "They say one always returns to the scene of the crime..."

Sendra literally jumped backwards, falling on her rump. "wh...Yuan...oo;" she stared blankly at him. Damn her being easily surprised. "How the hell did you know?"  
"You're a bad liar." he said simply, not moving from his spot leaning against the wall. "At least up here and to an angel much older and wiser then you. Why do you want in there so badly, Sendra?"

She glared, but then sighed. "I... I'm from Sylvarant. I have an idea of where the Renegades are, and I--" she paused a moment, remembering he was one of the people who might be the leak, no matter how much Mithos trusted him, or that he was Martel's betrothed. "I can't get there. I've never been there so... I wanted to get into that room to see if there was anything to help me..."

He paused, staring at her critically. "I take it that the place you wish to go is in Tethe'alla then?" he muttered. "I told you before, this room is classified. You want in, take your case to Yggdrasill."

She sighed a little. "True enough, but I'm still new here. Finding him would be rather difficult for me." she said, still on the ground. She hadn't bothered to get up.

"Unable to trace Mana signatures?" he asked, smirking slightly. "Can't blame you for that. Still, continuing to attempt breaking into secure areas is not a smart thing to do."

She rolled her eyes. "I figured that...About three seconds too late anyway." she said, leaning up and standing, shaking her head lightly. Dammit, she wasn't sure if Mithos would forgive this twice. He wasn't stupid, he might think she was nosey...

He gazed at her levelly. "How do you know about the Renegades, anyway?"

She laughed lightly. "How else would I know? Mithos told me." she said, glaring at the door in front of her.

"And you decided to investigate them on your own?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.

She stared at him, you could see she was trying to glare, but at this point it probably wasn't the best idea since he caught her red-handed trying to break into somewhere she shouldn't be. "No. Mithos told me when I first got here that I might be useful looking into them."

He considered her for a few moments. "That explains why you were interrogating Kratos and I about them not long ago." he said. "Knowing that, you're probably cleared to enter this room actually, but not having gotten any actual word or documents stating that, I still can't let you in."

She sighed lightly. "I understand." she said, looking back at the door. "Aside from that, what I need right this minute might not be in there anyway." she said, fiddling with the edge of the sheath on her arm.

He paused, considering. "What exactly do you need?" he said at length, watching her.

She paused a second, looking over at him "...Nothing I would like help with. I think I can find my own way, better than getting lost in here. I'mma force Mithos to at least show me where some important things are. . ;"

He smirked. "Force him, hm?" he said, shaking his head slightly. "At any rate, I trust you to not go trying to get in there again. If you do, there will be punishment involved."

She kinda "mmphed" in response. "And yes, force. I doubt I could actually force him to do anything for me, but I use the word lightly. Anyway. I'm heading back to Tethe'alla."

Yuan turned his back on her. "I wish you luck, then." he said simply, walking off again down the corridor, his footsteps echoing slightly.

She sighed a little, well that was fun. She breathed in deeply and teleported, landing somewhere outside Celsius's temple.


	30. Traitor Revealed

The ever-present blizzard was raging as usual, the wind and blowing snow taking visibility to less then zero. White-out conditions in most areas, 'twas hard to see more then a couple feet in front of you... Celsius must be supremely bored.

Sendra sighed a little, speaking to the air. "You're just doing this to frustrate me, Celsius." she said, holding her sheath close to her. If she headed anywhere she'd get lost, but it was worth a try. She started walking.

Crags loomed from out of the snow, rocks bent on tripping anyone or thing that tried to cross the snowy abyss. The wind seemed to giggle slightly and blew around Sendra, leaving the area before her temporarily clear. She was going in the opposite direction of Celcius's caves.

She didn't really care where she was going, hearing the giggling and shaking her head. "Yeah, yeah, yeah..." she mumbled. Opposite direction of her caves, yes. But Flanoir was that way anyway. She might use her wings once she was out of the blizzard.

The wind blew hard at her back, seemingly blowing her further toward town now. Whipping around swiftly, the snow created a small tornado for a moment before the wind died off.

She looked around with an eyebrow raised, still walking. "Well. I guess yelling at the air had to work at some point." she said, walking for a few more feet to make sure the wind was actually gone before making her wings appear.

The wind blew halfheartedly, the storm having moved slightly to the west. Raging well behind Sendra now, the city walls of Flanior were visible in the distance.

She grinned, perfect. She flapped her wings, going upwards rather than towards the town. She made a sharp turn and headed towards the outside of the city. She flew high enough to hopefully evade bad weather, and once outside of the rocky bits surrounding this little icy range, she examined each rocky island thing outside of it. "Just because you can't build something on one of these doesn't mean it can't go under..."

The rocks looked unwilling and ominous. Wind howled between them far below, whistling slightly as it was forced between the rocky outcrops. Nothing stirred but snow.

Sendra smiled lightly, turning her head and looking at one of the largeish islands, and on the side of one of the giant rocks, was something that looked out of place. She flew down to investigate. And within a few moments, she found it was a decently-concealed door. "Well, that was lucky." She said, peering at it and wondering how one would open it.

A small gust of wind blew across the platform she was on and a very well-hidden panel was partially revealed, its door shut tight against the wind. In fact, it was frozen shut. Huzzah.

She spotted it, grinning lightly, aha! She walked over to it and blocked the wind from it. Luckily, she was good with fire spells, and thus she tried to melt away the ice so she could open it.

The metal of the panel-door grew hot as the ice melted away, glowing a slight red color around the seams. Well, it wasn't frozen anymore, anyway.

She stopped the spell, letting it cool off for a moment while examining it. It looked simple enough to open, although most of the other crap she tried to open that day resulted in alarms. Oh well, if it did, she was confident she could handle whatever happened. She attempted opening it.

It popped open fairly easily, and revealed a control-panel-like device with several unmarked buttons of varying size and color. The largest, a big red one, was situated closest to the big door in the middle of the mountain. Oddly, no alarms seemed to be going off.

She winced a little, waiting...Hey, cool. She returned to looking over the panel curiously...Okay, well, lets test that luck again! She pressed the button closest to the door.

The door shuddered and, slowly, slid open. The distant sound of snoring could be heard from the other side of it. :

Sendra chuckled to herself. Aww, gotta love them sleeping guards. She walked inside and held a hand over towards the guard, and soon enough, whether he was awake or not, vines bound his hands, feet, and neck. She tilted her head to the side, and conjured one thicker vine to gag him so he couldn't yell. Well, it'd do. She didn't feel like knocking him out for some reason. She continued down the hallway. After navigating through the base, concluding that it was indeed the Renegades base due to other people she'd run across, and either killed or knocked out. She wound up somewhere in the center of the building, outside a door that looked more official than the rest of them. Ahaaa.

Voices could be heard from the other side of the door, dull due to the thickness of the walls. A very small panel sat next to the door on the outside, just like the one outside of every other door, just a simple indented panel with a small button set into it. Interesting doorknobs.

Sendra stepped closer to the door, setting her ear against it. One of the voices...familiar...Hmm. It would be easier for her to find out without showing herself.

As she leaned against it, one of the voices grew slightly louder. A pause, and the door slid open, and having been opened by a large half-elf man with dark brown hair carrying a huge red sword, said half-elf blocked most of the doorway.

"Y'ack!" she yelped, stumbling forward before bracing her hands on the sides of the door, inches away from whomever this new guy's chest, and thrust herself backwards, pulling both her spears from their sheaths, ready for a fight if need be, although she was also just plain startled by the door opening. Might as well get some double-wielding practice now o.o

The half-elf stared blankly for a moment. "...The hell..." he muttered. He unceremoniously grabbed Sendra by her sleeve/sheath and, spinning her around him rather gracefully, thrust her into the room, not really giving her time to poke him with a spear point. "I have no idea who this is, but something tells me she's not supposed to be here." he said, brandishing her at Yuan, who stood behind the desk in the room, staring dumbly, mouth slightly open. Wonderful.

Sendra was kinda shocked at the moment "...To quote whoever the hell you are..." she nodded at the one restraining her, recovering lightly and more aware of the blue-haired man in front of her. "YUAN!? Jeez. Wasn't expecting YOU. I was half hoping for Remiel, even if he's not that high of status but...YUAN!?"

"...Botta," he said in a commanding voice to the half-elf holding her. "Let her go and get out. Make sure the base is secured and the guard at the door punished."

Botta nodded and reluctantly let go of Sendra, turning swiftly and leaving the room, the door sliding shut behind him. Yuan stared at Sendra, his arms spread out on the desk in front of him. He leaned forward slightly. "How the hell did you get in here without the alarm systems going off?" his hissed, his voice low.

"I guess my luck returned after the door in Vinheim. And the guard was sleeping. And everyone else on my way here is either dead or out cold." Sendra beamed, and there was a long pause. "…And...wait. Why are YOU working against Mithos? He's Martel's brother, yeah, but you and she were... I'd think you two would have more reason to want her back."

He stared at her, eyes narrowed; and after a moment, he sighed, looking off to the side. He relaxed in a weary sort of way, flopping backwards into the armchair that sat behind his desk. "Should Martel be revived, Tethe'alla and Sylvarant will be doomed. I can't let that happen."

She blinked lightly, sheathing her spears, feeling safe enough at this point anyway. "Mmm. I see..." she said calmly, pausing and staring at him. "I'll assume you can tell that Mithos told me to find a leak in Cruxis to the Renegades. He told me it would be someone higher up, he seemed unwilling to say that the only people high enough were you and Kratos. I really wasn't expecting you..." she trailed off, narrowing her eyes. "He sent me to find this out, I report back to him, Yuan." she stared very seriously at him.

Yuan kept his eyes shut, leaning on one elbow and thinking. After a slight pause, he sighed, looking at her with an equally serious expression. "You've forced my hand," he said lowly. "I cannot silence you without serious trouble due to Yggdrasill's attachment to you, but I cannot allow everything I've worked for to be swept away by you." he stood, glaring down at her from across the desk. "Do you really want these worlds to be destroyed by his twisted vision?"

She sighed lightly. "These worlds have done little for me. In the end, it is my survival that matters to me." a pang hit her, but she ignored it. She had made friends, sadly. Brunt...Earnia... She banished the thoughts from her mind. "I recognized Mithos's power, I figured that he would succeed in reviving Martel eventually, this was before I learnt of the Renegades anyway. Siding with him meant my survival. Learning of, and more about, the Renegades makes me doubt that slightly. But you will have to think well to convince me of not reporting back to him with what I have learnt."

He hung his head for a moment. "...You joined him to save your own skin." he murmured. "Many do, though he has no attachment to most." Yuan looked up at her again, eyes narrowed. "The knowledge of that might well drive him mad. ...Again." he growled the last word. He sighed, shaking his head. "If that is the case then there is little I can do to stop you. If you do not care about the safety of millions of people; elves, humans and those in the middle, then I have no way of stopping you without tossing myself into even more trouble."

She raised an eyebrow. "Mm. Well that was half of why I joined him anyway." she grinned a little, "Call it cheesy, but it sounded exciting. Anyway, that aside... I am not completely without mercy, Yuan. In the end, it is my survival that matters to me. Up until then, it comes down to what I think is more important." she approached the desk and leaned over on it. "I won't report back to Mithos. But if he comes close enough to reviving Martel, I will consider the Renegades cause pointless and stand by him." she said, staring at him. "However, I do not want him to think of me as nosy. I'm sure he has various things he does not wish me to know, and if he was to know I was trying to get into a room I was not supposed to be in-- twice no less-- my position may be in danger. My survival in danger."

Yuan stared levelly at her, expression blank. After a moment, he nodded vaguely. "He will not know of your trespassing." he muttered. "But rest assured that should he or anyone else within Cruxis learn of my involvement with the Renegades from you, your survival will be in immediate danger from the Renegades as well. Cruxis cannot protect you from everything."

She smiled. "I am not completely without a brain, either, Yuan. Things will continue as normal, and Mithos will just have to deal with the fact that I was no better than he at tracking down the Renegades." she said, nodding. She paused for all of a half a second. "...What did Botta eat for breakfast for crying out loud!? Steroids or something!?" she half-sploded. Rather hurt that he managed to not only catch her off-guard, AND have enough strength to practically toss her into the wall like a ragdoll. Now that things were resolved with Yuan, that was her top priority! And no, it is NOT acceptable that he was just stronger.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Yuan snorted with laughter. Grinning, he looked at her with a renewed interest. "The Renegades have to be in the top physical condition they can be. Botta has trained to be strong, and his natural size doesn't hurt."

"Ghaaaa. Ever felt like a rag-doll? It SUCKS." she growled. "He's the only one that gave me trouble on the way here!"

Still grinning, he shook his head. "Never had the misfortune to be treated like that. I suppose I have to have him hold more training drills if he's the ONLY one that troubled you..."

"The guard at the gate was snoozing, easy enough. And the halls were relatively empty. I tried not to hit too hard, not sure why. Something's softened my touch, apparently. Rar." she shook her head lightly. "I mean, he could have at least given me a chance to react!"

Yuan chuckled again, wondering vaguely why he found it so amusing. "Intruders are not treated lightly, and in your outfit, you're certainly not a regular. Bit of a sore thumb really."

"Lucky me. I am NOT wearing another disguise. Worn them three times in my career. Hated every one. xx; I'll have to remember to stay away from the freakin' TANK next time I infiltrate the Renegades' base." she said, yanking out one of her spears and fiddling with the tassel on it.

He had to fight another chuckle, and settled for just grinning. He paused, watching her. "...I think I see now why Yggdrasill likes you." he said. "You seem to bring smiles to even the most downhearted people. Reminds me of Martel."

Sendra laughed lightly. "Aw now don't flatter me." she said, grinning. "I value laughter high enough to know the value of it. No matter how proud I am, to see someone smile, even if it was because of my humiliation, it is worth it." she said, sheathing her spear once more. "...Bah. What should I do noooow?"

"You have a very interesting personality," he said, smiling and shaking his head slowly. "Disregarding to the safety of others, but enjoys the sound of others laughing. Downright oxymoronic at a point."

"I'm awesome like that, don'cha know?" she smiled. "Still dunno what I should do to occupy myself now, though."

He considered for a moment. "The boredom of Welgaia is setting in already." he said, smirking. "What do you feel like you WANT to do?"

"Enh. Less that more which one of the choices I have should I wander off to go to. More importantly, which is easiest to get to. . " she said, huffing lightly at this predicament.

"Not sure I can be of help there without more details." He said, still watching her. "I would be happy to take you somewhere, though. It's not as if it takes a long time to get to any one point."

"Mm... I think I'd like to go to Welgaia... See some friends there." she said, shifting weight to the other side "And I honestly still don't trust my aim. Would you mind? Gimme a couple years and I'm sure I'll be able to do this on my own."

"Not at all," he said, extending a hand to her. "Who are your friends? Not that I really expect to know them..."

"Ren and Melody. Melody was kind enough to help me last time I was lost there, after we resolved the fact that mana wings + angels Creepy doll angels." she said, taking his hand and making sure her wings were gone. "Though one stick-in-the-mud thought I was a human. Pssh. I was never human in the first place!"

He paused. "Mana wings plus... angels... creepy doll angels..." he muttered, trying to process her sentence. He seemed to give up after a moment. "I wish you luck in finding your friends then. As I'm sure you're aware, Welgaia is a large city with many, many citizens." And, in a moment, they stood somewhere inside Welgaia.

"Ah, just gotta head for the amazing floor of wonder. Ren will probably be there." she said after they arrived in Welgaia. She grinned at him. "And I wouldn't try to understand that, don't want your brain going splode." she said, skipping off.

"Amazing... floor of wonder..." he murmured. After a moment of trying to process that, he burst out laughing. He teleported away, leaving a couple angels that had been floating about staring dumbly.


	31. Angel Culture

Sendra laughed, hearing Yuan laugh from wherever she'd skipped off to. She headed for the moving walkways. "C'mon Ren, BE PREDICTABLE." she muttered.

At a glance down the walkway it wouldn't be obvious that anyone was on them, but at a second glace it would become clear that not only was Ren on the walkways, but several smaller angels sat clustered around him, all watching, enraptured, as he spun webs of colored light around himself and the angels that all looked like children. He was singing as he worked, in a distant language that was the Angelic tongue. Oddly, the walkway they were on wasn't moving at all.

Sendra stopped skipping and walked slowly along the walkway, reaching Ren and the others. She smiled and stood with the crowd of angels around him, watching as they were. She thought it best not to interrupt him.

Two small female angels that stood in front of Sendra, holding hands with each other, squealed happily as Ren weaved his story in the air. The two jumped in unison and looked over their shoulders at Sendra, then looked directly up at her. They were identical. They looked very young indeed, and what was more, neither had crystals. They beamed, still in unison, before looking back at Ren, who was oblivious to Sendra's appearance.

Sendra was patient; aside from that, this was pretty even if she barely understood it. She wondered vaguely about Earnia, she was a spellsinger... Was that like this?

The two squealed again as the lights twisted and turned, and after a moment, they began singing along with Ren, their cute and high voices mixing rather well with his deeper one. He looked over his shoulder at them, smiling and finally noticing Sendra. He beamed wider and drew an orange arc in the air before him that engulfed the rest of the light, before it all faded and the singing stopped. The children all clapped enthusiastically, gabbling quickly at one another in the angelic language.

Sendra smiled, clapping lightly for him. She hadn't seen anything like that, though that wasn't too surprising, knowing her. Declining world and little magical knowledge and such.

He turned to face her, grinning, and was just about to say something before the twins that lacked crystals ran up to him, each latching onto one of his legs. He stumbled slightly, using his wings to balance himself as he laughed. "Ahg- bwa- GIRLS!"

Sendra simply laughed at that. "D'aww." she said, leaning backwards on the railing of the sidewalk "You have fans! How adorable."

"Ehe..." he said, leaning down and picking up each girl in an arm. "Little brats." he said, as each girl twitched their feathery white wings and hugged him, neither seeming willing or able to talk. "I'm amazed that they can sing along with my stories but lack the ability to string sentences together..." he said, grinning sheepishly. "What brings you to Welgaia, anyway?" he asked Sendra, looking curiously at her.

"Well I don't have that much else to do at the moment, thought I might take you up on those lessons you offered." she said, smiling. "Where's Melody? Just off somewhere?"

"I have no idea," he said, shifting his grip on one of the young angels, as she had begun sliding. "I haven't seen her since we guided you to Vinheim. She's a soldier, no telling where she's off to."

Sendra shrugged lightly. "Well, she mentioned something about patrolling later on, seemed pretty shaken about it. 'Twas just wondering if she was okay now." she said, blinking at the girls, "So who are these two?"

He smiled at each girl in turn, who merely hummed along with each other, content. "One's Trint, the other is Mayla. I can't tell the little buggers apart, don't ask which is which... Kids of one of the angels that live in the nearby housing... place. Never met the families of most of these little rugrats."

"They're rather attached to you, though, I see. Almost literally, it would seem."

He chuckled. "Yeeeeah, they rather like my stories. Don't talk much other then to sing along with one of the stories they know well."

She smiled. "It was pretty, I thought. I don't blame them for liking them. 'Least they understood it." she said, watching the twins and laughing a little. Aww.

He chuckled again, and one of the girls turned her largeish grey-green eyes on Sendra. She leaned toward Sendra slightly, causing Ren to lean over as well, and stuck her arms out toward her, wanting to be held by Sendra now apparently.

Sendra looked surprised for a moment, but then seemed happy enough to comply with her wishes and hold her. "D'aww."

He shifted the way he held the other girl, who hummed happily and wrapped her small arms around his neck rather tightly. He closed one eye, smiling awkwardly. "Agh. Disgustingly cute, aren't you?" he asked the little girl, who nodded happily. He laughed.

Sendra laughed a little, looking the little girl she was holding in the face. "They're adorable. Are we sure they're not just putting us under some sort of cuteness-ray spell or something?"

He grinned. "It's possible." he said, looking contemplative. He looked at the girl he held again. "Are you hypnotizing us with your cuteness?" She nodded vigorously again. He snorted.

Sendra laughed, adjusting the girl she was holding on her hip, thinking to herself. "Jeez, with what I used to do for a living, that MUST be what they're doing." she smiled, making a silly face at the girl she was holding.

The girl giggled madly and imitated the face right back at Sendra. Ren shook his head lightly, grinning. "I'm wondering how their parents stand them. Sleepless they may be, but so are the little ones..."

"From what I know of children, sleepless or not, they make you tired." she said, peering at the little girl she held. "Is that right?"

The little girl giggled, and, in a high voice with a slight lisp, spoke. "Ith's true. We stheal hyper from momma and poppa."

"Thath's why they're alwayth tired. :o" the other said, to which Ren laughed.

Sendra laughed as well. "Those wings will fool people, you know. Little devils!" she said, though the grinning face she had put away ANY thought of that being an insult of any sort.

Ren laughed in agreement, and the twins just giggled, looking at one another and grinning. "Ah, hini..." he smiled. "That'll be your first Angelic word. Hini, it means 'children'."

She looked over at him, nodding. "Got it, teacher." she nodded once more for affect, smiling.

He grinned. "What else..." he muttered. The girl Sendra held squeaked, making an odd.twirling hand gesture as she did so. "Gil sila na lu govaded!" she squeaked. She looked at Ren. "Neh?" He smiled. "'A star shines on the time of our meeting,' a greeting one uses when speaking to one of importance."

She nodded, repeating the line "Gil sila na lu govaded. Aye?" she said, smiling. This was kinda cool.

He nodded, smiling. "Yes, very good. You'll make a good student."

A loud, female voice sounded from the closer end of the stationary sidewalk, admonishing. "Dol lost lin, Ren!"

Ren looked around, wincing, and smiled in a weak way. "Melody! Gil sil-"

"No dhinen..." she muttered, before noticing Sendra. "...Oh. Hello."

Sendra waved with her free hand, quickly returning it to support the kid on her hip. "'Allo!" she beamed.

Ren sweatdropped. "Ah, err..." he muttered something under his breath to the girl he held, to which she giggled like mad. She reached out her arms toward Melody, who raised an eyebrow before taking the child. The child beamed. "Why'd ya call Ren an empty-head?" she asked cutely.

Ren smacked himself on the forehead.

Sendra laughed a little. "I second the question!" she said, smiling.

Melody blinked. "Ren has an empty head, for he does not use any means of think himself through." she said, "No brain to speak of."

Ren grumbled, looking slightly dejected. "You're meeeeean, Melody."

Sendra smiled lightly. "To speak of. But that may mean there is one, it's just small. :o! At least it's something, Ren!" she laughed.

"...You're both mean." he said with a pout. The girl that Sendra held piped up. "Ren ithn't an empty-head." She said, glaring sadly at Melody, who blinked. "...I think it is time for the children to go home." she said simply.

Ren sighed. "Sure, take away my only supporters."

Sendra laughed a little. "Aw, now I didn't say he was. I said he has something up there, which also makes it clearly worth mentioning, countering Melody's statement." she grinned. "I'm secretly on his side. ...OR AM I?"

Both girls puppy-dog pouted as Melody set the one she had been holding on her feet. Melody paid them little mind, looking at Ren. "Lady Pronyma arrived in Welgaia several hours ago. It appears that the military zone is growing to encompass parts of the civilian territory. Were you aware of that?"

Ren was too busy trying to make the little girl on the ground smile to reply.

Sendra set the one she had been holding down and prodded Ren's shoulder. "Hey. Heyhey." she said, pointing at Melody.

Both girls reached out for the others hand and just stood there with adorable pouty looks on their faces.

It took Ren a moment to look around at Sendra. "Eh?..." he looked at Melody, who was standing with her arms folded in front of her, looking cross. "...No I didn't know that." he said obliviously, before going back to making odd faces at the girls. Melody sighed angrily.

Sendra laughed a little. "Oi, Ren, before you go "splat" all over the walls, you might wanna pay attention to her."

Ren sighed and stood up, looking at Melody. "Why do I need to know? I rarely travel out of this area."

Melody sighed again. "You are oblivious to the world around you, Ren! I try to keep you sane and safe up here and you ...just... ignore it."

Ren blinked, then slid one foot over and hid behind Sendra, stooping slightly due to his height. "Don't hurt me."

Sendra ducked down. "I ain't being your shield." she said, slinking over to the side. She looked over at Melody, "I, however, am kinda interested. What's Pronyma talking about again?"

Ren joined the girls in puppy-pout-ing as Melody focused her attention on Sendra. "Lady Pronyma says the military zone within Welgaia is moving somewhat, encasing parts of the civilian territory. She did not specify a reason, however."

"Mm. I'll have to ask about that next time I see someone higher-up." she said, looking over at Ren. "..." she giggled. "Man, I can't keep a straight face looking at you like that."

Puppy-pout of doom!

Melody drew a sword and hit Ren on the back of the head with the hilt.

"OW."

The little girls looked utterly shocked. They both ran behind Sendra and peered around her legs from either side, staring in terror at Melody.

Sendra blinked at Melody, then twisted around at her waist to look at the girls. She returned focus to Melody and Ren. She restrained comment though.

"Some soldier you are." Ren complained, holding his head. "Owww..."

"My duties as a soldier do not extend to being tolerant of you." she said simply. "Though... You are better then Remiel..."

Sendra looked up, remembering her promise to obey the next thing Remiel told her to do. "Wha' about Remiel?" she asked.

"He's annoying as hell." Ren said, standing up again, though still rubbing his head.

Melody nodded in agreement. "That... Stuck-up, holier-then-thou attitude he has..." Melody said, shaking her head. "I would take Ren any day over that."

Sendra laughed. "Exactly the impression I got. Though I've more reason than you to dread seeing him right now." she muttered.

Melody sighed. "Be glad you are not in the Welgaian military. We have to listen to him babble on a weekly basis."

Ren was pulling faces at the girls again.

Sendra smiled lightly. "The last time I met him, he disapproved of my attitude. When one of the leaders informed me of this, I made a promise to obey the next order he gave me. Since I didn't obey his orders before. I just can't wait to hear what stupid thing he has me do. . " she said, shaking her head a little.

Melody groaned. "Make sure you stay far, far away from him, then..." she muttered. "There is no telling what he will make you do..."

"Probably revenge-related too, some menial work I'll be bored out of my skull with." Sendra shook her head.

Melody nodded. "It is possible. Just hope he cannot come up with something too horrible."

"I can hope anyway." she shook her head. "I don't think he'dve approved of me no matter what I did when I'd met him."

"I doubt it," Ren said, standing up straight again. "He kind of seems to hate everybody. I think I know what he needs, but he makes it hard for himself."

Melody blinked. "...What does he need?"

"Nothing I would speak of in front of these lovely young children!"

Melody smacked Ren with her sword again.

Sendra laughed again, looking over at Ren. "You be careful, or you'll get lumps on your head the size of Sylvarant."

"Melodyyyyyy. What'd I DO?" Ren whined, holding his head again. Melody sheathed her sword again, looking cross. "You are…are… horrid."

Sendra laughed a bit. "Hey, I thought it was funny." she said, shaking her head lightly.

Ren brightened, beaming at Sendra. "SEE? SOME people appreciate humor."

Melody sighed. "I am... aware I need to, er... lighten up a bit. Old habits and all."

Sendra laughed a little. "Maybe a little, don't wanna turn into a stick-in-da-mud like Remiel." she shuddered. "I don't wanna see that happen."

Melody nodded. "That would be bad, yes." she said, shuddering lightly. "I do not know... HOW... to... lighten up, though..."

Ren sighed. "You don't know how to have FUN, Melody. You poor soldier."

Sendra smiled a little. "Lord Yggdrasill had forgotten how to have fun, as well. I think it's coming back to him now, spend enough time around me, and you might learn, too."

Melody nodded vaguely. "I will try not to hit you too hard, then, Ren." she said, smiling slightly at him.

He sweatdropped. "Err... thanks."

Sendra smiled. "Oh don't worry, Ren. I play "jester" to a much higher being. If I make a bad joke around him, it's a lot worse than getting bonked on the head with a sword hilt." she smiled. "So far he's only threatened once."

Ren raised an eyebrow. "What'd he threaten you with?"

She laughed. "I don't rightly know, but I don't really want to find out." Somehow she didn't sound worried about it, either.

"Good plan." he said, smiling.

Melody was staring into space. "...Why are we standing here doing nothing?" she asked after a moment, blinking and looking around at Sendra.

Sendra smiled lightly. "I... have a few questions for you two. But I would kinda prefer a less public place."

Ren perked up. "We can head to my place. Not that there's much there."

Melody tilted her head sideways, watching Sendra curiously.

Sendra nodded. "That would work. Melody, are you going to be free for the next hour or so?" she asked, quickly nodding to Ren. "Lead the way", she said, turning back to hear Melody's response.

Ren strutted off toward the far end of the walkway, grinning widely. "We can let the little ones off on the bottom floor, I know they live on that one..." he said, looking over his shoulder at the twins, who were holding hands and skipping along in his wake.

Melody nodded to Sendra. "I have plenty of time now that Lady Pronyma has gone for the time being."

Sendra nodded, smiling. She followed Ren and shook her hair away, looking around Welgaia idly.

Ren led them through the city, weaving between large buildings and eventually stopping before one of the taller buildings, looking up. "Ah. Home sweet empty apartment building." he said, though the building seemed like neither apartments nor empty. Many angels meandered in and out of the doors, and upon spotting someone they recognized, the twins ran off toward an older, female angel that shared their dark blonde hair. Ren watched them run off before grinning and walking forward into the building. "Onward"


	32. A Trip to Flanior

Sendra walked along with Ren, looking around the building. Welgaia was an interesting city, if you could call it that. It seemed more like a giant office building or something...

Ren hopped up a flight of stairs and startled a group of angels as he bounded up the next flight happily. Melody shook her head slightly, sighing as she followed him calmly. "Ren..."

Sendra smiled warmly. "Come on, Melody. This place needs more life like that." she said, skipping every other stair.

He leaned against a door on the third floor, waiting for them. He flicked his fluffy white wings as Melody finally reached the top step and smiled warmly, turning the knob of the door and leading them inside a large, single-room ... room with several scrolls pasted pell-mell across the walls. Furniture in the forms of smallish end tables and chairs of both boring wooden and giant puffy varieties scattered the room, and apart from the clutter it was surgically clean, not a speck of dust or debris marring the white walls or dark green carpet. He flopped into a chair at random. "Make yourselves at home."

Sendra skipped across the room, twirling and landing in a chair gracefully. "Thanks." she said, crossing her legs. "I gotsa question for you two. I could just as easily ask one of the higher-ups...but it'd be safer to ask you two. You'll see why." she said, while undoing her ponytail to re-do it.

Melody settled herself into a hard wooden chair and placed her hands in her lap, looking at Sendra with curiosity. "What is it?" she asked, and Ren nodded, watching Sendra with the same curiosity.

Once her ponytail was set, unusually tight, for her, she smiled again "Are the angels of Welgaia allowed to visit Tethe'alla or Sylvarant?"

They looked at each other, then Ren looked up at Sendra. "I'm not sure. I would assume so, as we're never told _not_ to."

"Have you two in the years you've been here?" she asked, grinning.

Both shook their heads, then Ren spoke again. "Never had a reason to leave. We both came from earth at some point, though it's been so long I don't even remember why I came up here..." he looked at Melody, and shook her head to indicate she couldn't remember either.

Sendra nodded a little. "Would you like to come with me to visit there? I'm sure the worlds have changed a lot since you two were last there." she smiled. "It is very beautiful, and I'm sure being in Welgaia for...so many years, anyway, can get rather dull."

They looked at each other again in surprise, then both looked at Sendra, and nodded. "I'd love to go on vacation with you two lovely ladies!" Ren said, to which Melody gave him a slightly patronizing look before focusing her attention on Sendra. "I, too, would like to accompany you. But, why would you need us to come with you?"

Sendra smiled. "I have a friend who might be interested in meeting you. The Tethe'allan Chosen." she said, uncrossing her legs. "But just so you know, she knows of the Angel City, but not much more. Be careful saying very much to her about it, since I'm not entirely sure what she is allowed to know. And I don't want to get any of us in trouble. Can I trust you two with that?"

They both nodded, then Ren grinned. "Another lovely lady? I'm in shock."

Melody hung her head for a moment. "Ren... you are horrible."

Sendra laughed. "You'll end up being the first one flirting with her, being the Chosen, I'm really surprised she hasn't had twenty-or-more handsome suitors flaunting their love for her with stinky flowers and flashy rings." she said, standing. "I also promised her that I would take her to the snowy city of Flanior, I figure that that would be a nice place for her to meet you two, it's a lovely setting, and I haven't even been inside it!"

Melody stood up as well and folded her wings tight behind her; a moment later, they vanished. She rotated a shoulder, a confused look on her face. "Wow, that feels weird..."

Ren stared, standing up too. "...I didn't know we could do that."

Sendra blinked at her "...Whoa. I thought only Mana angels could do that." she said, looking over at Ren. "Makes things easier on me, I'd planned on just flying above the city and then teleporting inside a room at the Inn."

"But that's boring." Ren said, folding his wings at Melody had. He looked over his shoulder at them, annoyed when they didn't vanish. "Melodyyyy. How... the hell... did you do thaaat..." Melody restrained a giggle, walking over to place a hand on each of his wings. After a moment, his fluffy white wings were gone too.

Sendra laughed. "Yay, makes things easier on me still!" she said, beaming. "Now, you two ready to head for Tethe'alla?" she said, extending a hand to each of them. At least she wasn't going to Cruxis, it was unlikely she would miss, even with others with her.

Ren muttered a thanks to Melody as she walked round him and took one of Sendra's hands. Ren stared blankly at Sendra for a moment before grinning and taking her other hand, interlacing his fingers with hers. "Ready when you are, Sendra!"

Melody just glared.

Sendra grinned, laughing lightly and shaking her head. She concentrated on the snowy region Flanior was on, and made sure to focus on Flanior in the nearish distance so they wouldn't end up in the middle of nowhere. They vanished, thankfully ending up exactly where she'd hoped they would. She beamed. "Yay! Welcome to outside-of-Flanior!"

Ren's eyes widened as he looked around at the snow. "...What is that stuff?" he said, waving an arm around wildly. "It's wet and cold."

Melody stared around blankly. "...Snow," she said, smiling. "It has been a long time since I saw snow."

Sendra laughed. "Aye, Snow. Puffy water, explaining the wetness." she said, having let go of Melody's hand, she stared down at Ren's hand, still interlaced with her fingers. "... AH-HEM. I'd like my hand back now."

Ren looked around at her. "...Oh. Right." he said, letting go and wandering in a random direction. "Snow, huh... weird stuff. Kinda pretty though"

Melody sighed. "Ren... you are very strange."

Sendra smiled, leaning down and wadding up a bit of the snow into a ball. She chucked it at Ren, hitting him in the back of the head. On impact, the ball exploded and bits of the snow went down his collar. Sendra giggled.

"ACK!" He twitched and fell over, managing to get more snow to weave its way into his robes. He stopped flailing about after a moment and just kinda layed there, staring upwards. "...I don't like this stuff anymore."

Melody had burst out laughing.

Sendra laughed. "C'mon, try it. Chuck one at me. You're better-dressed for cold weather than I am." she said, nodding to the snow. "Just wad some of it up until it's semisolid."

He sat up and stared at a snowdrift beside him. "...Rightwhatever," he said, grabbing a handful of snow and squishing it together with some more snow. He looked around for a target, and feeling smarter then to aim for Melody, tossed the snowball in the general direction Sendra's midsection. He missed by several feet. Melody laughed harder.

Sendra laughed lightly, lifting her foot up, she kicked and sprayed snow at Melody. "If a snowball fails..."

"HEY!" Melody cried, throwing her mesh-covered arms up to protect her face. "No fair! I am not wearing playing-in-the-snow kind of clothes!"

Ren smirked, standing up and dusting snow off of himself. He grabbed another handful of snow and tossed at Sendra again, managing to hit her in the arm that time.  
Sendra winced lightly, it stung for a second before she grinned and tossed a snowball back at Ren, landing a hit on his leg. Lower than she'd aimed for, but ah well.

Melody retreated a distance of several feet, watching the snowball fight from what she deemed a safe distance. Ren, laughing now, tossed another snowball Sendra's direction, managing to miss her leg by a matter of inches.

"Ooh, so close!" she said, tossing another one at him and hitting him in the stomach. "M'wahaha."

"I'll get you one of these days!" he said, lobbing another snowball at a slightly faster speed then before and managing to catch her boot.

"...Not today, obviously." Melody remarked, smirking.

Sendra shook her boot off, tossing a snowball high, and watching it land on top of Ren's head, splatting into his hair. Sendra simply had to laugh at that.

"...what the hell." He said, laughing and shaking the snow out of his hair. "I can't tell if that was luck or huge skill." he said, kneeling down behind a snowdrift and making several snowballs at top-speed.

Sendra laughed. "A bit of both really." she said, copying his action and making lots of snowballs as fast as she could.

He stopped the process for a moment to toss a snowball at her, grinning when it smacked her in the head. He ducked and continued stockpiling snowballs as Melody stood, watching blankly and muttering about how childish and strange those two were.

Sendra laughed, tossing one back and hitting him on the shoulder, when the ball exploded some hit his face. She set hers up in a pile-ish looking thing, more a lump of constructed snowballs, but there were lots of them.

He winced lightly but tossed one right back at her, whacking the sheath over her arm. Melody hummed lightly to herself, watching boredly.

Sendra grinned, when she was finished with her pile, she grabbed a snowball, charged at Ren when his back was turned, and said in a loudish whisper "Lets gang up on Melody." she attempted to say it quiet enough so she wouldn't hear, and to cover her tracks she tossed the snowball at him at close range, nailing him in the back. She darted back to her pile, leaping over it to continue making snowballs.

"...ow." he said, wincing as the snowball hit his back at point-blank range, but he went back to stockpiling, having a good number of snowballs now. "I'm gonna get revenge for that shot Sendra!" he called, though his wide smile said he was only saying that to make Melody less suspicious, as the swordian had narrowed her eyes and snapped to attentiveness as Sendra crossed the 'battlefield.'

Sendra grabbed four snowballs per hand, standing. "Ready for this, Ren!?" she hollered.

He did likewise, smirking. "You're going down!" he said, shaking his hair back and grinning at Sendra.

Melody sighed. "You two are the oddest, most childish angels I have ever met..."

Sendra grinned, "Alright, on the count of three, we fire! May the better snowballer win!" she called. "ONE... TWO...THREE!" she started chucking her snowballs at Melody, when one hand was empty it grabbed more, while the other threw. She was good at this for this being only the third time she'd seen snow.

Ren cackled and aimed for Melody as well, who not only looked shocked but slightly frightened. She screamed and turned her back on the two of them, her wings popping out for extra protection against the barrage of snowballs and her arms over her head.

Sendra laughed. "We're both gonna pay for this." she said, throwing snowballs until her pile ran out. "Probably in warmer clothes for her."

Ren tossed his last snowball at her and managed to hit her square in the small of the back. She growled and flicked her now white-speckled wings angrily, looking over her shoulder timidly first, then rounding on the two of them. "What do you think you are doing?!"

Sendra held up her last snowball, and tossed it sideways and nailing Ren in the shoulder. "Ooooh, nothing Hey, Ren, that Snowstorm was a wild one, wasn't it?"

"Yeah!" Ren said, latching on. "It came outta nowhere! Amazing!"

Melody seethed at the two of them. "And why..." she said. "Is it that the two of you are not covered in snow as I am?"

Sendra blinked. "...It went RIGHT BETWEEN US. It made it hard to aim, too. I bet I barely got a hit in on him."

Ren nodded vigorously, but Melody just shook her head angrily. "You two are... are...Grrr." she muttered. She flicked her wings again and folded them, after a moment making them vanish.

Sendra laughed, making two more snowballs she walked over to Melody. She handed Melody the snowballs and held out her arms. "G'on. It's not like you didn't earn it, snow-covered wise."

Melody took the snowballs and furrowed her brow, looking from the snowballs in her hands to Sendra and back again. "...I do not partake in childish games." she said, dropping the snowballs at her feet. She crossed her arms stubbornly in front of her and glared over Sendra's shoulder at Ren, who was snickering as he made another snowball to throw at Sendra.

Sendra raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Melody. Ya gotta have some fun here. Just throw one. Throw it at Ren. It'll be more fun than hitting him with the sword!

Ren paused. "...Wait... HEY."

Melody glared, pouting slightly. "I... oh... fine." she murmured, leaning over and picking up one of the snowballs she had dropped. She chucked it at Ren, who didn't duck in time and was smacked in the side of the face with the snowball. He fell over, whining in pain. "Owwwwww."

Sendra grinned. "Now, wasn't that fun:o" she said, putting an arm around Melody's shoulders in congratulations.

Melody glared at nothing in particular. "Mmm." Melody muttered, apparently not wanting to say either way on the subject.

Ren sat up, the side of his face stinging from the snowball. "You girls are meeeeean."

Sendra laughed. "C'mon, Ren. Let's head into Flanoir." she said, letting go of Melody and heading for the city.

Ren got to his feet and brushed himself off again and, still pouting, wandered after Sendra. Melody huffed, her arms crossed in front of her again, but she followed obediently.

Sendra did the occasional cartwheel in the snow, Flanior approaching rapidly. "When we get there, do you two think you can stay out of trouble for a few minutes alone? I need to bring Earnia here, she's still in Meltokio."

"I will keep Ren out of trouble." Melody said before Ren had the chance to answer. He did a double take. "...Waaaait... what kinda trouble would I get into?"

Sendra smiled. "Well, I trust you two." she said, as they were within a few feet of the gate. "If you could, try not to stray too far from the entrance of the city." she said, stopping. "I don't want to vanish inside the city, you two go ahead."

They glanced at each other and Ren, smiling, bowed to Melody and offered her his arm. "Shall we, then?"

She blinked in surprise. "Uh... well... O-okay..." she muttered, blushing very faintly and taking his arm. He saluted Sendra with his other hand. "See ya later!" he said, leading Melody into the city.


	33. Dancing Lights

In a flash, Sendra had teleported away and now stood in Earnia's front doorstep, beaming. She knocked loudly.

"COOOOOOMING." Said the loud voice from inside, and there was a scrabble at the door. A cry was heard and after a moment of silence, Earnia opened the door, beaming and hiding her two-pronged weapon behind her back. Her usual butler was sprawled out on the floor beside her, out cold. She pushed him out of sight with her foot. "Oh! Sendra! Back so soonthat'sawesome!"

Sendra ignored the out-cold butler, grabbed Earnia by her wrist and dragged her upstairs, grinning all the way. "Come on! I have a surprise for you! You need to put some warm clothes on!"

"Warm clothes...? OH! Are we going to Flanior?" she asked, barging into her own room and skipping over to her large closet. Clothes of all sorts flew out of it at random as she searched for something suitable.

"Yep, but my surprise is better!" she said, catching a blouse before it hit her as it took flight from the closet.

Earnia tossed a dress, complete with hangar, over her shoulder without much of a second glance at it. "Ooh, a surprisey-surprise!" she said excitedly. "What is it?"

"Well I--...HEY! It wouldn't be a surprise if I told!" she said, putting on a mock-whiney sound.

"Bu-but." Earnia matched the mock-whine. "I wanna know nooooooow!" She looked at something she had just pulled out a drawer, a blinding pink and purple knitted sweater. "...Warm, but disgusting. Why do I even own this?"

Sendra laughed, ignoring her want of knowledge. "Hurreeeeeeeee!"

Earnia found a green-and-grey sweater that wasn't as objectionable and pulled on some thick purple knee-high stockings. "Ready as I'll ever be." she said, prancing over to Sendra.

Sendra reached over and grabbed Earnia's hand. "Now, this is gonna be a little weird." She said, teleporting them back to the exact spot she had teleported to Meltokio from moments before.

Earnia jumped, looking around. "...Dude, that was awesome." she said, staring around. "Can I learn to vanish and reappear like that, or do I have to become an angel first?"

"I think you need to be an angel first." she said, smiling. She pulled Earnia along to Flanior, still very excited about this. She looked around for Ren and Melody.

The two angels were sitting on a bench somewhere near the entrance, watching the snow fall. Ren, a sneaky look on his face, was creeping ever closer to Melody, he had actually managed to wrap his arm around her shoulders before she began to wise up to his motives. She looked around as she heard snow crunching nearby and spotted Sendra just as Ren tried to sneak a peck on the cheek. He fell over onto the bench as Melody stood up, waving a hand. "Over here, Sendra!" she called, paying no mind to Ren.

Sendra waved back and continued dragging Earnia along towards the bench they were sitting at. Once she reached there, she beamed. "Earnia, these are my friends Ren and Melody."

Ren sat up, rubbing his head where he had hit it on the back of the bench. "Ow... ... Well hello there!" he said, standing up at a very quick speed once he spotted Earnia.

Melody smiled, bowing. "Greetings."

Earnia blinked several times, but smiled and bowed as well. "It's nice to meet both of you!"

Sendra still beamed. "So what do you guys think of Flanior? All of you."

Earnia looked around, twirling happily. "It's gorgeous!"

"It's cold." Melody said, though she smiled vaguely at Sendra.

Ren had the best answer of all. "It's a great place to meet the person of your dreams."

Melody clearly had to resist the temptation to whack Ren again.

Sendra laughed. "Uh huh. Well, let's go see more of it, huh?" she said, starting off towards a set of stairs.

The three of them followed, Ren jogging for a moment to walk next to Earnia. He opened his mouth to say something but Melody tapped the redhead on the shoulder. "I would not pay too much attention to what he says. He is one of those strange types that like to hit on every pretty girl they see."

Ren went ":(" again as Earnia giggled. "Is he now?"

Sendra laughed. "He is, but I think it's a rather cute trait." she said, going up the stairs. They immediately saw three large statues. One depicted a rather large Penguin, another showed a larger wolf with a giant mane of fur on its neck and back, and the third showed a large, almost abstract looking ice sculpture of a tornado, more of a snowstorm.

"Ooooh" the girls echoed, staring in awe at the statues.

Ren slid up next to Sendra and layed his head on her shoulder cutely. "Y'think I'm adorable, don'tcha?"

She looked over at him, obviously resisting a grin. "Of course I do. Absolutely adorable." she said, conjuring some ice around the tip of her finger, she reached behind him and touched it to his neck.

He froze, then twitched and reached around, grabbing her hand. "Such a cold touch you have." he said, smirking and raising his head, still holding her hand firmly in his. "I could warm it up for ya"

Earnia and Melody weren't paying any attention to Ren at all, both babbling in the old language at eachother about the statue of a tornado/snowstorm. Earnia seemed amazed that Melody knew the language.

She laughed, the ice melted rapidly, and the reason became clear, because from the tip of her finger was a small flame, about the size of a candle wick burning. She grinned, saying nothing.

He let go rather abruptly. "Gack--!"

"Sendra!" Earnia called from the top of a nearby staircase. She and Melody had wandered away from the statues already. "Stop flirting and come on!"

Sendra laughed, following along. "Glad those two get along." she said, waving back at Ren. "C'mon, loverboy."

Pout. "Cooooming." Ren said, walking along in the wake of the girls.

Earnia waited impatiently at the top of the stairs, beaming. "Where to next, Sarge?" she asked of Sendra, waving a hand around at the city before them. Melody was hovering around a bulletin board, reading the flyers with little interest.

Sendra led them up another two flights of stairs, outside a large official looking building. But she walked away from that, and headed for the ledge in front of it, it overlooked the city. It had an absolutely beautiful view, especially since the setting sun was turning the sky a delightful shade of pink.

"Wooow..." Earnia said, leaning against the banister on the ledge and looking out over the city and sky. "This is amazing!"

"I... have to agree." Melody said, smiling as she stared at the sky. "I have not been this relaxed in a long time."

Ren smiled as well, scanning over rooftops below. "It's pretty," he said shortly. "But not as pretty as my three traveling-buddies."

Melody groaned.

Sendra laughed, looking over at Earnia. "Hey, Earnia... Sing something?" she asked, leaning on the banister as well, watching her. "It's been a while since I heard you sing."

Earnia looked around, surprised. "Ah... okay..." she said, reaching behind her and taking her weapon from her belt. She moved to the middle of the platform and took a deep breath. "Here goes..." she whispered. She raised her voice and began to sing, her crystal voice calling out over the snow in the old language. She raised both arms, holding onto her dual-pronged weapon, and a spark of light jolted between the silver before bursting out around her, lights of calm blues, yellows and purples dancing about in time with her voice.

Melody watched, enraptured, as the lights twinkled and sparkled, reflecting off the snow. Ren swallowed, watching with wide-eyes. He seemed frozen to the banister, his back to the city as he watched Earnia.

Sendra watched Earnia, standing on the edge of the platform that let her see both Earnia and part of the city. She smiled and nodded her head in time with Earnia's voice, not really noticing Ren.

The Singer's voice quivered sweetly through the air as the colors blended and separated, the lights around her weaving continuously.

Ren swallowed again, amazed. "I..." he whispered. "I thought this art was lost to the earthbound..." he took a tentative step forward, then took a deep breath and joined his voice with hers. She looked around in surprise and the light around her wavered for a moment, but she caught herself and continued the song, staring at Ren as he walked to stand next to her. The lights doubled in strength and area, engulfing the entire platform in a swirl of delicate colors as the two distinctly different voices intertwined and weaved their spell over the entire city.

Sendra fought the urge to close her eyes as she swayed lightly in rhythm with them. She was no dancer, but she knew beauty when she heard it.

Melody actually did close her eyes, smiling and swaying in time with the lights dancing around them. Earnia, amazed beyond belief, merely stared at Ren as she sang. Ren reached up and gently took one of her hands from the silver weapon she held, lacing his fingers with hers and squeezing her hand lightly. She paused for half a note but closed her eyes and continued, unknowing of the people that were gathering toward the source of the music.

Sendra watched them, grinning a little. She figured Ren's singing was related to the spellsinging Earnia taught. That was mostly why she asked, to see how it would play out. She leaned back on the railing and crossed her arms in front of her, tapping her boot.

The lights began to fade as the song drew to an end, and as the last speck of light faded, the two voices seemed to permeate every inch of the city, filling the inhabitants with an inexplicable hope and wonder. The last note quavered and died, and the small crowd that had gathered began to clap, though Earnia paid them no mind, staring enraptured at Ren.

"But..." she murmured. "I thought..." He merely smiled and kissed her hand gently, bowing away and stepping back to the banister. Melody was clapping as well, smiling widely and watching this Chosen with a renewed wonder.

Sendra clapped with Melody, her claps trailing off slowly. "That was amazing, both of you."

Earnia waved off the crowd in an embarrassed sort of way and the people slowly dispersed, all talking to one another about what they had just witnessed. She turned to face Ren once they had all gone, mouth slightly open and looking absolutely dumbfounded. "How... how do you know of that art?" she asked in a weak sort of voice.

He smiled. "I would ask you the same thing."

Melody looked between them, remaining silent. She glanced at Sendra and then at Earnia again, a curious expression on her face.

"When I heard you in Welgaia, Ren, I remembered Earnia. I was interested in what would happen if you two were to get together. I'd already planned to invite you two along with me to Flanoir, but this was an amazing bonus." she commented, watching the two spellsingers.

Earnia blushed scarlet at the smile Ren was giving her and she looked away, at Sendra. "W...Welgaia?" she asked. "I don't think I've ever heard of such a place." she paused, then looked back at Ren with comprehension dawning. "Wait... It can't be..."

Melody and Ren merely exchanged grins, saying nothing.

Sendra nodded lightly. "However, Earnia, you know my position, I would prefer we get a room in the Inn to discuss that, I don't want people overhearing." she said, pushing herself off the wall. "That alright with you all?"

All three nodded in unison.

"Wow..." Earnia whispered, turning to walk off the platform. "I've never sung with anyone before... never met anyone who /could/ spellsing..." she looked over her shoulder at Ren and blushed again, looking at her shoes as she walked. Ren just chuckled, honestly as amazed as she was but better at masking it.


	34. Sendra's Interesting Friends

Sendra lead them to the inn, and, having not removed her pouch even without a need for gald in Welgaia, she withdrew enough gald for a room; and once they were directed to one, she lead up to it.

Melody followed close behind Sendra, not really wanting to get lost. Earnia kept her eyes on her shoes, lost in thought and miraculously managing to not wander off. Ren followed along as obediently as a puppy dog, seeming happy to follow.

Sendra opened the door for everyone, still smiling. This was gonna be interesting.

Melody marched through the door and slid to the side to let everyone else pass, and Earnia snapped to attention just long enough to not pass the door entirely. She walked inside too, and Ren bowed his head in thanks to Sendra as he walked inside as well.

Sendra shut the door, and leant against it. "Mm'kay... Earnia, I think you got the idea earlier, but Welgaia is the name of the angel city-- I doubt anyone will care about you knowing the name. Melody and Ren are from there, Angels." she said, explaining the blunt end of it. "Still dunno how you two manage to hide your wings. But, anyway."

"I have NO IDEA." Ren said, looking over his shoulder. "But it still feels REALLY WEIRD without them."

Melody sighed, stepping away from the wall and unfurling her feathered black wings. She bowed her head slightly toward Earnia.

Ren went all pout-y again. "Tell meeeee how to do it..."

Earnia stared in amazement. "Wow... Angels..." she whispered. "Am I... Am I dreaming? First a spellsinger, now I find out they're angels..."

Sendra laughed lightly. "Melody helped me when I was lost, I'm very unfamiliar to Welgaia...Melody could you give Ren a hand with his wings?"

"Technically, you found me in the inner part of Derris-Kharlan," Melody said, crossing the room and placing a hand on each of Ren's shoulders. A couple moments later, his fluffy, feathered white wings poofed into existence, and he stretched them gratefully, grinning. "Thanks, Melody. " Earnia shook her head gently. "Wow..."

"Wherever it was." Sendra said dismissively. "I was still lost. Anyway... I'm interested now. You two hadn't heard about any other spellsingers?"

Earnia shook her head vigorously. "As with other magic, only those of elven blood can use it. The elves living in Heimdall waaaay out in the Ymir forest like they do, half-elves were the only ones I could meet that could even vaguely have a chance at spellsinging... and, well. You know what the chances of finding a half-elf in Thethe'alla are." she sighed.

Ren watched her curiously. "I was under the impression spellsinging was a long-lost art. Not even the elves could do it anymore. I was clearly mistaken."

Sendra watched them, tilting her head to the side. "You two are the only spellsingers I know of... What about those two girls in Welgaia, though?"

Ren smiled. "They can sing along all they like, doesn't mean they can attach the magic. It's a natural thing for elves though, if they're taught to sing, they will."

Earnia tilted her head to the side. "I was never taught. I just noticed that weird things happened when I sang as a child, and even weirder if I sang in the old tongue."

Sendra nodded lightly, tilting her head to the side. She was slightly confused, but it mostly made sense. "It might have been the elven blood in you activating the magic. Just something you were born to do."

"Musta been," Earnia said, looking at her hands. "Still, wow... never thought I'd meet someone else who could do it too..."

Melody raised her head. "Singers like you two are rare even in Welgaia. We have only one singer in the entire battalion I am assigned to."

"It's special, which makes it even greater for those who can." Sendra smiled. "Plus it's amazing to watch, which just makes it cool."

Earnia blushed, but Ren just smiled. "I agree, we're that much cooler because we can sing." Earnia giggled, looking at Sendra. "I thought you said the angel city was boring. These two are awesome!"

Sendra laughed lightly. "They've been there for longer than I have. Ask them whether it's boring or not."

Melody nodded to Ren. "You spend more time in the city then I do. I am usually on patrol of Derris-Kharlan."

Ren thought for a moment. "Things are as fun as you make them. Many of the people there lost the ability or knowledge of how to have fun long ago. So, yeah, it gets boring sometimes."

"Mm, you have the same opinion I do." Sendra nodded to Ren. "Many of the leaders have been around for so long, it's hard for them to remember "funny". Which is a lot of why I'm as important as I am, if you can call it important anyway. I'm just a jester."

Earnia laughed. "A jester? That's an interesting position. I hadn't realized there was a _kingdom_ going on."

"It is... not really a kingdom." Melody.said, "Though what one would call it I am not sure."

Sendra smiled. "A jester in the meaning that one of our leaders told me that he had not seen Mithos laugh in a thousand years or more. And I can make him laugh rather easily, if I say the right thing." she said, grinning.

Both angels twitched at the sound of the Supreme Lord's name, but Earnia giggled. "You've got talent!"

Sendra shook her head lightly. "Well I think I'm just one of the only people to have been around him that has a sense of humor, that's more likely."

"That's possible." Earnia said. "Does sound like a boring place. None of my new servants appear to have senses of humor either."

"Make sure you do not lose your humor." Melody said, to which Ren nodded. "Yeah. That wouldn't be good."

Sendra smiled. "You do and I'll force you to get it back." she said, nodding.

Ren grinned. "You said you had new servants, Earnia?" He asked, looking at her. She sighed.

"I've been the Chosen for all of a week now, and it's already driving me mad. I actually knocked my butler out cold today so he wouldn't open the door before I got to it."

Melody looked shocked.

Sendra shook her head lightly. "They take the fact that she is the Chosen too seriously. I say good for you, Earnia."

She sweatdropped. "Nobody will be too pleased with me when I get back, but that's too bad. I'm the Chosen and they need to listen to me, darnit."

Melody blinked several times, still sort of shocked looking. "I had no idea you were a fighter, Earnia..."

Sendra nodded. "If anything, they're being disobedient!"

"Yeah!" Earnia said, before giggling. "I only fight when I have to. And I had to a lot when I was younger." she twiddled her magic-amplifier in her hands, the silver bouncing light off the wall.

Ren watched it curiously.

"Oh? Why'zat?" she asked, resting her boot on the wall behind her.

"Mother died when I was four," Earnia replied blankly. "Never knew father. He was the elf." she paused, staring at the wall. "Had to fend for myself after that. Lived in Ozette for most of my childhood, but I got lost in the Gaorrachia Forest once when I was thirteen and was found three days later by a professor at the Sybak academy. That forest is mighty scary."

Sendra nodded lightly. "We're not all that different then. I never knew my father either, and my mother was killed when I was young. I don't even know the village I was born in, I left there when the villagers there burnt down our home and killed her looking for 'that cursed half-elf child'. Been on my own since, until I found Brunt anyway." she shook her head lightly.

Earnia sighed. "There really doesn't seem to be a place for us..." she muttered.

Melody and Ren looked at one another sadly, both having once felt the same as Earnia, though a long time before.

"I just forced myself into a place. Hiding the fact I'm a half elf, scaring the living daylights out of people who persecuted me for being what I was. If they fought with me over it, they lost anyway." she said, smiling. "And even if you're a half elf, no one could talk about it now. You're the Chosen."

"Until everyone finds out and I'm outcast." Earnia muttered.

Melody furrowed her brow. "That... does not seem fair."

Sendra smiled. "If they try that, they'll have me to contend with." she said, patting Earnia's shoulder and yanking her new spear out, the one with the emeralds on it. She examined the jewels on it, tilting her head to the side.

Earnia smiled, humming vaguely. The silver weapon in her hand sparked but she paid it no mind, though both Melody and Ren gave it a wary glance. Ren shook his head and watched Sendra. "That's a pretty shiny spear. Doesn't look like it's even been tossed at something."

Sendra chuckled. "Nah, not yet anyway. Hasn't had a chance yet. Thought I might try a little double-weapon practice. I doubt I'll use it much."

"I'm sure Melody would be glad to help you practice! 8D" Ren said, waving a hand at Melody, who didn't register what Ren had said at once.

"Wha... oh... Well, I have been trained to use two swords." she said, withdrawing both swords from her belt and holding them in a crossed position in front of her.

Sendra pulled her other spear out, holding them in the middle and holding them at her hips but further away from her body. "I'd need the fighting practice. One of the leaders said I was a Goddess amongst humans, but he beat me a little too easily for my tastes..." she said, relaxing her spears.

"And he was probably holding back, knowing our Leaders." Ren said, looking between Melody and Sendra warily.

Earnia slunk carefully to the edge of the room, leaving the other two plenty of space, though not really expecting them to train here of all places. Melody tilted her head to the side, looking at Sendra and holding her swords remarkably steady. "Which Leader was it?"

She paused a moment, considering how much she could say around Earnia. "Yuan. He wanted to test me, I was decent at casting spells but I don't think I did amazingly in telling what element to use. That was one weird weapon he had, though."

Melody nodded. "I have met Leader Yuan a few times. Well... seen is more accurate. He is strong, in body, mind and will." she nodded. "It is of little surprise he beat you."

Earnia stifled a giggle. "Sounds like a cool guy."

"I hadn't expected to win, but I lost in about as much time as many humans have against me." she said, shaking her head a little. "I think he did suggest training against angels more often." she shrugged, sheathing her two spears and plopping down in a random chair.

Melody nodded. "We should train, then." she said, sliding both swords back into her white belt. "Somewhere safer."

Ren snorted. "NO, you should TOTALLY train right in the middle of a human-inhabited building that was definitely not meant for battle!"

Earnia giggled.

Sendra grinned. "While you two have your wings out, even!" she shook her head. "Nah, when we get back to Welgaia."

Melody nodded, and both Ren and Earnia pouted.

Melody blinked. "...What, you two WANT us to blow every cover we possibly have?"

"Not really." Ren said, beaming. "It just would have been funny."

Sendra laughed, turning herself in the chair so she was laying sideways in it. "We should just have my wings out as well, make our cover even more blown." she said, twirling one foot.

"...I don't have wings." Earnia mock-whined. "I want wiiiiiiiiings."

Ren snorted. "You're the Chosen, you might get them someday."

"True. And even then, you're a half elf. I'm not entirely sure but it might not be very hard for you to gain wings. I'll have to talk to Mithos about it."

"Kaaay." Earnia said, then paused. "Waiiit... you're a half-elf too. How come YOU get wings?"

"Because I'm a half-elf, goofus." Sendra laughed. "Mithos offered to make me an angel with the Cruxis Crystal, I accepted, poof I get wings. In a summary, anyway." she said, crossing one leg over the other.

"...I have a crystal." she muttered, poking her own chest. "Ah well, I can live without wings I guess."

Ren grinned and flexed his poofy wings. "Yours wouldn't even be normal and feathery-fluffy. They'd be shiny and weird and make Melody and I go nuts."

Sendra laughed again. "Like mine?" she said, moving her shoulders almost-threateningly.

"Yes." Ren said.

Earnia blinked. "Go...nuts?" she muttered. "Wuzzat mean?"

Sendra smiled a little, laying her head back and closing her eyes. "You two explain. I still hardly understand it."

Ren lost part of his grin. "Eh... Wings of Mana like Sendra's have an odd effect on lower-ranking angels. We're... quite literally forced to obey any and all commands we are given by one of Mana. I don't understand why."

Melody moved in a slightly uncomfortable way. She knew why, but figured it was better for Earnia not to know. "We... lose ourselves." she said simply. "Sendra is very different from the Leaders we are used to."

"Which is why my wings aren't out right now. Not only is it slightly creepy-- no offense to you two-- but they're more fun the way they are. I consider it slightly mean, really." Sendra didn't move when she spoke, save for her leg bobbing around.

Melody tilted her head to the side. "Mean?... Hm." she blinked and leaned back against the wall.

Earnia looked thoroughly confused. "How can you lose _yourself_?"

Sendra opened an eye and looked over at the other two angels. "I dunno. How d' you lose yourself?"

Ren opened his mouth for a moment, then closed it again and shrugged. "Dunno. We're kind of... surpressed. Very few angels can resist going into this weird... trance-thing. Remiel is one of the few." he scowled. "How HE'S strong enough to do it I'm not sure..."

Earnia looked perplexed. "Remiel? Another angel?"

"Paper-wings. I know I've mentioned him before. High-and-mighty doofus who doesn't REALLY hold that much amazing power. And his wings look weird." she said, shaking her head and closing her eyes again. "He doesn't like me."

"Oh, him." she giggled. "Ren doesn't seem to like him much either."

"He's too stuck-up for me." Ren whined. "Thinks he's cooler then everyone for... I don't know why."

"I can't imagine him saying "cool"." Sendra said, chuckling.

"...Neither can I actually." Ren said. "But it still counts."

Earnia giggled. "He doesn't sound fun at all. Too bad. I'd like to meet more angels."

"You might meet more, just hope you don't have the unfortunate opportunity of meeting Remiel." Sendra said, sighing lightly,

"I kinda wanna meet that Yuan guy. :o" Earnia said. "What's he like?"

Ren and Melody exchanged a look that clearly said 'These people keep calling our Leaders by their first naaames….'

"For starters he'd probably prefer being called "Lord Yuan". I'm probably infecting all of you with my casual names, I just see no reason in changing someone's name just for the sake of recognizing their rank. I recognize him as a leader; don't have to say it like that. Anyway. Yuan's... Well really I don't know too much about him. He's to-the-point, like the other leaders. Has more of a sense of humor than the others, from what I've seen, but still not that much."

Earnia nodded. "Lord. Right." she smiled. "What other leaders are there? Mithos, Yuan... err... Lord Mithos and Lord Yuan?"

Ren was restraining giggles, Melody just sighed. She could only imagine the trouble her or Ren would be in if they ever called Yggdrasill by his first name.

""Lord" Kratos. I don't know him too well." Sendra said, sticking her right leg straight in the air, probably stretching, or else her legs were just bored...Or there was no real reason whatsoever. Who knew.

Earnia nodded. "Well you should get to know him better so you can tell me about him." she said, then giggled. "Wow... I never thought I'd make it much beyond teaching Spellsinging in vain at Sybak. Look at me now!"

Sendra laughed. "Yep, knocking-out butlers and chatting with Angels. You're quite amazing."

The Chosen beamed. "Yeah! AND I get to save the world someday shoulditneedsaving!"

Melody narrowed her eyes a nothing in particular. "Prospering world... no need for that to happen within her lifetime." she muttered, not quite loud enough for Earnia to hear.

"Plus you're almost worshipped by people. I know Flanior is remote but I was rather surprised no one came up to you." she said, lowering her leg again.

"I dunno if they really recognized me." she said. "I'm still a new Chosen, they're all still trying to figure out how the old one stopped being a Chosen." she paused. "...Actually, I wonder that too, but oh well. My great-aunt whateverthehellhernamewas was always a nutter anyway."

Sendra nodded lightly. "I think that may have been why. Refused to leave her house and such, wasn't a proper Chosen or something..." she chose not to relate what happened when the former Chosen's Cruxis Crystal was removed.

"Makes sense. But why ME, the one to take her place?" she blinked. "What makes a Chosen... Chosen, anyway?"

The two angels glanced at each other nervously.

Sendra shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure. You were probably picked for it well before now, as was your aunt-person. She just didn't turn out as well as we'd thought." she said, even if she did know, she thought it best not to tell Earnia. The thought was frightening enough for her.

Earnia sighed. "You should see if your boss-people are willing to tell you. I'd rather like to know. Oh well." Ren fished about in midair for a change of subject, rather sure by now that Earnia was asking questions she shouldn't be.

Sendra lifted both her legs up this time, tossing them back down with enough force that she stood up from her previous laying-down-on-the-chair position. "We should probably head back now, Earnia, before your babysitters have a cow, calf, and a bull at the same time about the fact you're gone." she said, shaking her hair away.

Earnia gave Sendra the most adorably-pouty face she could muster. "Buuuut whyyyyy? My maids will live, I told them I might vanish from time to time. As long as I'm back by morning they should be fine. Besides, you paid gald for this room and everything, why bother only inhabiting it for a coupla hours? Gosh."

Ren had to push several dirty thoughts out of his mind at this point, but shook his head, blushing slightly, and cleared his throat awkwardly. Melody gave him an accusing look.

Sendra however looked at him with more of a "I know what you're thinking" look, though she turned back to Earnia. "Well, Angels don't sleep. D'ya expect us to sit here and watch you sleep?"

"...Good... point..." Earnia muttered, glancing curiously at Ren, who was blushing harder then ever and refused to make eye contact with anyone else in the room. Melody crossed her arms and huffed at him.

Sendra shook her head lightly. "That, and I have business with Mithos. As much as I'd rather we stay, it's for the best that we take you back."

" Okaaaaaay..." Earnia muttered. "Can I at least hug my new angel-friends g'bye?"

Melody had to resist laughing at Ren, who had gone practically scarlet by this point. One had to wonder if Earnia had said that on purpose. Giggling, Melody hugged Earnia, careful to make sure her sword-hilts didn't poke her.

Sendra laughed. "Now I wouldn't begrudge you that." she said, looking over at Ren with a very amused expression.

Ren smiled sheepishly as Earnia hugged him too. For good measure, she stood on tiptoes and pecked him on the cheek. "Thanks for singing with me" she said happily, turning and grinning at Sendra. "Okay, if we muuuust..."

Ren blinked several times, mouthing soundlessly. Melody was doubled over in silent giggles now.

Sendra shook her head a little at Ren, holding out a hand to Earnia. "You behave yourself while I'm gone for all of a few seconds, Ren." she said, teleporting her and Earnia back to Earnia's bedroom in her mansion.


	35. A Life Long Past

"ThatwassomuchfunIwannadoitagainsomeday. D:" Earnia said in a rush, hugging Sendra too. "Melody's so cool and Ren is adorable andandand..."

Sendra laughed, hugging her back. "I'll bring them back for a visit every once and a while, okay?"

"Okay." Earnia said, beaming and releasing Sendra from her hug of death. "I'll hold you to that one!"

"You're welcome to. Say hi to your butler for me." she said, teleporting back to where she was a moment before.

Melody's giggles were no longer silent by this point, and Ren was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall and laughing weakly as well. He looked around, grinning madly as Sendra reappeared. "Well that was an interesting experience!" he said, beaming. "I liked her."

Sendra snorted, looking at him. "I'm sure you did. You looked like a tomato." she giggled with Melody.

He chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "I'm not surprised, the unbidden thoughts racing through my mind..."

"'Unbidden' my tailbone, Ren." Melody said, though she was still giggling.

Sendra laughed more. "D'aww. Man I dunno why I find that cute."

"I do not know either. It gets on my nerves." Melody said, though she smiled at Ren nonetheless. He chuckled again. "At least one of you tolerates me."

Sendra chuckled. "Well, I'm sure the innkeeper is going to wonder about how we actually left here, but they can just wonder about it for all I care. Ready to go back to Welgaia?"

"I kinda like it on Earth." Ren said, though he stood up anyway. "S'more lively. Ah well."

Melody nodded. "Back to the sleepy, sleepless city." She smiled. "I still... find that odd..."

"It makes sense though. And I promised Earnia I'd bring you guys back for a visit every once and a while, so you'll probably be back here soon enough." she said, extending her hands to them.

Ren beamed, and Melody smiled as well. "We should meet somewhere... warmer, next time." She said, taking one of Sendra's hands. Oddly, Ren didn't try to interlock any fingers this time, just took Sendra's other hand and beamed. He seemed to be having a lot of fun.

Sendra teleported them back to where they were before, Ren's little apartment thing. "Mm'kay... Now I'd like to find Mithos... Or try to. Might be interesting."

Both angels looked at each other, before shrugging. "We cannot help you with that one..." Melody said sadly. "Lord Yggdrasill does not stay in one place for long. Perhaps the guardian of the castle would know something?"

"Maybe, it's a start anyway." she said, shrugging. "All else fail, I'll just wander around until I find something." she said, smiling. "Hope you two had a good time!"

"I know I did!" Ren said, beaming. "Thank you, Sendra. Been a long time since I made friends, and now I've made two new ones in just the past few days!"

Melody nodded. "Yes... thank you. You already seem to be bringing life into the city of lifeless beings."

Sendra smiled. "Oh I've only gotten this far with the people who receive it." she said, waving her hand. "See you two." she said, teleporting off to outside the doors of Vinheim.

The large white snow leopard that lazed about in front of the doors looked around at Sendra's appearance. She flicked her tail once, gazing with a large blue eye at Sendra. "'Ello dearie," she muttered, yawning with a slight roar.

"Y'allo." she replied, watching the creature. "So. Would you happen to have any idea where Lord Yggdrasill might be?"

The guardian flicked an ear. "He's hard to pin down. Try that room with all the maps in it." she nodded to one of the many doors off the hall. "Several doors down that hall. He spends a lot of time in there."

Sendra nodded. "Thanks muchly" she said, wandering off down the hall. Near enough to the end of the hall, she began opening doors looking for 'im.

Empty room with too many books... empty room with too many books... just plain empty room... room where everything was inexplicably on the ceiling... Aha. Fourth or fifth door down the hall was an enormous room with maps of Tethe'alla and Sylvarant plastered on opposite walls, little glowing pins stuck at several points in the maps. Yggdrasill was examining the Sylvarant map closely around the area of Iselia, fluttering in midair while a quill flashed across a scroll of parchment that was floating idly beside him.

Sendra stood at the door a moment, and upon deciding that he clearly hadn't noticed her (or at least didn't show it anyway), she stepped inside and closed the door. "'Ello, Mithos."

He did a small double-take, glancing toward the door and quickly back at the map before turning his head sharply again and blinking. "Oh, Sendra. Hadn't expected to see you again so soon." He turned his back on the map to face her, landing lightly. "What did Yuan want?"

"Just to test my skills. A little training. Quite a bit has happened to me since then, really. I'm already losing track of time." she smiled, leaning against the wall in her usual pose, with her boot up against it.

"It happens," he said, waving a hand vaguely beside him. The quill and scroll slowly settled on a table nearby. "Night and day become null and void after a while. Only need to pay attention to them if you're traveling to Earth."

"Well considering I didn't have a wonderful grasp of time before I met you, it's unsurprising." she said, laughing lightly. "I got lost immediately after leaving Yuan."

He smirked. "Wonderful. Have you been wandering around the castle this entire time, then?"

"Nah. A soldier angel named Melody found me, and led me back here after introducing me to her friend Ren. After that, yeah, I did wander about lost in the castle for a while until Yuan found me again. I'm just lucky enough to be lost and then actually found."

"A soldier angel?..." he muttered. "Interesting. A swordian, I expect?"

"She used double swords, yeah. Why'zat interesting?" she tilted her head to the side.

"I suppose only because it's rare for one to get lost around here." he said, shrugging lightly. "Most know where they need to be. Then again, most have been here for years, not weeks."

Sendra smiled. "She wasn't lost, I was. 'Suppose saying that she found me was improper, more like I found her. I think we were outside of Welgaia somewhere." she shook her head lightly.

"That explains it." he said, smirking. "You mentioned another angel, a friend of the Swordian. Of what class is that angel?"

"Lower I'd assume. He said he hardly left the city. We found him walking the wrong way on the moving walkway. I thought it was funny." she chuckled. "He was interesting."

"..." He chuckled, shaking his head gently. "Ah. I've heard of him from those in charge of maintaining Welgaia, then. A singer?"

"Yeah! Him. Like Earnia, she's a singer too." she nodded.

"Singing is a dying art," Yggdrasill said sadly. "Even the elves of Heimdall are losing their touch for it. It was one of the most common forms of magic when I was there as a child..."

"Yeah... That's what they said." she looked up at him. "Hey. Is it possible for a lower-class angel to hide their wings?"

"Possible, yes, but it takes a great deal of concentration. Only those in the military are really taught to do so, as many are required to go to earth occasionally." he blinked. "Why?"

"Eh, I wasn't aware it was possible. Melody was able to, and she helped Ren with his. I, uh, took them to visit Flanior with me and Earnia. I promised her I would take her."

He raised an eyebrow. "You took them to meet the Chosen? Interesting. Was there any particular reason to take the two angels with you?"

"I'd seen Ren singing, I was interested in what would happen if he and Earnia met. Other than that, I just thought I'd repay them for helping me find my way. They really enjoyed the visit, and Earnia did too."

Yggdrasill nodded, the paused. "...Now you've got me curious." he said, smirking. "What did happen between the two singers?"

"Well when we'd explored Flanior, I asked Earnia to sing. When she did, Ren looked really surprised and started singing with her. It was really, really pretty..." she smiled. "Lights mixed in with their voices... And it was sunset, too. Which made it that much more awesome."

Yggdrasill nodded. "Singers are capable of invoking magic much stronger then normal mages, as well as just making things look generally pretty. A singer in battle usually spells doom for their opponents."

"All in all, we had a good time. Ren and I had a snowball fight." she laughed. "Earnia had to knock-out her butler to answer the door before he did, too. They're taking the fact that she's the chosen too seriously."

"..." He shook his head again. "Humans are odd creatures... They bow at the feet of the Chosen and yet often overlook the wishes of the one they're bowing to."

"And nearly have heart attacks when she answers the door on her own." she shook her head lightly. "Ah well, either they'll learn or they'll have horrible headaches for the rest of their lives."

"Simple enough." he said, smirking. "You seem to have become friends with the Tethe'alla Chosen. I have to wonder how wise this is, but as she is the Chosen of the prospering world, she has no regeneration journey to perform, either..."

Sendra shook her head a little. "I know of the dangers in it. I also know that, however small of a chance there is, I might be the one you're looking for to revive Martel." she looked him in the eye. "I live life in the moment, so neither prospects bother me until they are about to happen."

He paused, staring blankly at a point just to the side of her boot on the wall. "I have manipulated the bloodlines of those on Earth for over three thousand years to create the being with the Mana signature closest to Martel's. You are a generation outside of the line of Mana. The chances are slim indeed that you are the one I need."

"I know, Mithos. But there is still a chance of it. But, as I said, this doesn't bother me, and I do doubt it will happen." she smiled. "Blame Yuan for warning me." she shook her hair out of her way. "Oh, and I attempted looking into the Renegades a little. I looked over a Tethe'alla map for possible locations, searched around a bit on the rocky island things around Flanior, but I didn't find anything there." she shook her head lightly. "I didn't have any information on them before I tried looking; it's unsurprising I didn't come up with anything."

Yggdrasill sighed. "We don't have lot of information on them to begin with." He crossed the room and pointed to several glowing pins in the same snowy region she had searched in on the Tethe'alla map. "You took a good guess when you went to that region actually, but either they move constantly or are cloaked so well that it's basically impossible to find them without a great deal of luck. My bet is on the latter."

"Mm. I went around all the rocks that were large enough to house a group of any sort. Didn't see anything suspicious. My guess might be that they have an underwater base, that's as cloaked as you can get, with very little above the water, and a remote area that there's little traffic, you can be out there without the world knowing." she said, looking over the map briefly.

"Quite possible." he said, nodding. "Although that wouldn't explain why they continue to evade us in Sylvarant as well." he nodded toward a large number of pins scattered all over Sylvarant on the other wall. "My guess is that they're in the desert region, but once again, damned if I can find them..."

"They may very well have an underwater base in both worlds. The desert would seem an unlikely place to me, as much as you could probably be there undetected, it would be too hot for a large number of people to stay there." she said, shaking her head. "I'm trained to be thorough, but I'm sure they're trained to be slippery."

"They have to be trained to be slippery to evade Cruxis for so long..." Yggdrasill muttered crossly, narrowing his eyes at the Tethe'alla map. "The reason I say the desert is that they seem to be able to move freely between worlds... they need to be at opposite poles to be able to do so, and there's no two opposites further then the ice of Tethe'alla and the desert of Sylvarant... Then again, we have very little proof they're actually in the icy regions of Tethe'alla anyway."

"Just because they need to be in one place or another to switch worlds doesn't mean their base is there. One man I was told to go after lived in Palmacosta, but he did most of his dirtywork in Asgard." she said, glancing at the maps.

"I suppose that's true..." he muttered. "Slippery devils. Kvar's ranch was attacked not long ago by Renegades as well, but there were far too few Renegades to really do any damage."

"Well sorry I wasn't of much amazing help, for now anyway." she said, looking at the Sylvarant map. "I wonder if a town is able to disappear..."

"I hadn't really expected you to find anything," he admitted. "Lucky being as you seem to be. As for the disappearing town..." he shook his head. "I've never heard of such a thing happening. Possible with the right magic to obscure a town, not to make it disappear."

"Well... I'm not amazing with town names, I was wondering what village I might've come from... I don't remember much about it." she leant her head against the wall.

He scanned the Sylvarant map quickly. "Hm. If it was a truly small village it may not even be marked on that map... You like water, though. You may have come from Luin."

"More likely to be Izoold..." she said, eyeing the small fishing village.

"Could be." he said, nodding. "Or, for irony's sake, even Triet, though I doubt it."

She laughed. "Triet... I've traveled out there. Too dry for my tastes. Plus, at the age I was when I left, I wouldn't have survived the desert."

"True. Izoold seems the most logical..." he paused. "Iselia... is somewhat near the ocean... Though it's very near a ranch. Do you recall having any trouble with Desians as a child?"

"Not really. I only ran into Desians after I left..." she trailed off, zoning out as she had in the Wind temple. She remembered being young, running away from the bad people who hurt her mommy. She remembered staying on the path but being so tired when night fell. She remembered people in helmets carrying weapons walking past her. She remembered a man stopping by her and speaking to her... _'Child...blood...kind...being...Here'_. Her eyes grew wide. "Luin. I'm from...Luin."


	36. Back Home

"I remember a group of Desians from the night the village attacked my mother, but it wasn't Iselia. It was Luin." Sendra stepped away from the wall, pointing to Luin. "I remember staying on the path so I wouldn't get lost; the Iselia ranch goes through the forest. I would have remembered that..." she stared at the map.

Yggdrasill nodded after a small pause. "Kvar holds the ranch near there. It would have been his underlings that stormed the village."

"They must have been heading that way... I only remember one of them...that's where..." she pulled out her spear slowly, the one without the jewels. "He left this beside me. I remembered having this ever since I was young but I never remembered where, when, or why I had it..."

He gazed at the spear in her hands. "I had thought it looked like a Desian-standard weapon." he muttered. "Would you like to take a trip to Luin, perhaps?"

She paused a moment, putting the spear away. "Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but are many Desians half-elves?"

"Almost all Desians are half-elves." he said smoothly. "You're hard-put to find a human one."

"I think the one that gave me this sensed that I was a half elf..." she shook her head to snap herself back to reality. "Whoa. Another nostalgia trip." she looked up at him. "Luin... I doubt anyone would recognize me."

"But you may recognize others." he said, smiling slightly.

She nodded, smiling lightly. "I've gone soft. But yeh, a visit to Luin might be interesting."

He chuckled. "Gone soft? How do you figure that?"

"Oh, nothing." she shook her hair out of the way. "I never cared about the past much. Now I'm strangely interested."

He shrugged. "As we mature, we begin to see things in a new light. To Luin, then?" he asked, approaching her and extending a hand.

She took his hand; she hadn't been to Luin in years. Most of her work based out of Palmacosta. She was slightly nervous. She hadn't seen too many people there last time, as she was there at night.

Yggdrasill transported them to the outskirts of Luin, it was early-morning and most shops hadn't even opened yet. He glanced around and transformed quickly, as his adult-form didn't totally fit in with the humans.

Sendra looked around the town, it was rather sleepy at this point. She looked over at him and looked slightly surprised at first about having to look down, rather than a moment ago. Though she understood quickly why, and promptly repressed giggles. Yeah, well, a random blonde man wearing skintight clothing might be a little odd.

Mithos scanned the town, sighing. "And this is what I meant about only having to pay attention to night and day when traveling to Earth..." he muttered. "Ah well. Shall we explore anyway?"

Sendra nodded. "This is around the time I'dve been leaving the town last time I was here." she said, wandering off and expecting him to follow along.

He did after a moment, gazing around the town. "Seems like an interesting place to grow up. I wish I could return to Heimdall... Just to visit."

"Oh, and why can't you?" she asked, looking over at him.

"They banned half-elves from entering after the Kharlan war." he muttered, not seeming to feel like elaborating more then that.

"Mm... Not very friendly, then." she looked around the sleeping village. "I think I was around five when I left here..." she smiled. "It's interesting when you're not sure how old you are."

"You think living for as long as I have makes it easier to know how old you are?" he asked, smirking. "It's easy to lose track. I don't even know my own birthday anymore."

"I never knew. Lost most of who I was after I left here." she said, looking around the town.

He nodded sadly, hopping over a rock in the pathway. "I was… twelveish when Martel and I got kicked out of Heimdall... better memory of who I was. Not much of one though."

"Well as old as you are, forgetting is forgiven. I think I'm around 27...Maybe." she said, looking around the town. She stopped walking abruptly, staring at a house that looked uninhabited and rather run-down.

He wasn't paying attention, and therefore walked right into her. "...Ow." he muttered, having hit his head rather hard on one of her spears. He peered around her and stared at the building, choosing to remain silent.

"..." she started walking again, apparently having not noticed that he'd walked into her. Though as she approached, a voice rang from outside another house.

"Wouldn't go in there, miss. People around the village say that a young lady was killed in there. Wretched woman bore a half-elf child, she deserved what she got, but no one likes going in that house anymore." a housewife called as she swept up her porch.

Sendra stopped to listen to her, but made no reply and headed toward the house. The other woman shrugged and went back to her sweeping, muttering something along the lines of "suit yourself"

Mithos growled slightly but said nothing to the woman, following Sendra. "Sendra...?" he said quietly. "This is where you used to live, isn't it?"

"You heard her, the story's unlikely to repeat itself in twenty years." she said emotionlessly, putting her hand on the door.

He nodded, sticking close behind Sendra. It was likely dark inside the old house.

Sendra pushed the door open, stepping inside. It was dark, but a dusty window let in some light. It was very small, two rooms. A bedroom with one bed in it, and a kitchenish area. She looked around the Kitchen silently, nothing incredibly interesting in there. She turned to look in the bedroom and she swallowed. They hadn't even cleaned it since that night. Blood on the walls, a child's handprint on the wall near the door. Thankfully, they had removed the body. Sendra looked stunned.  
Mithos examined the dusty place sadly, and once he reached the bedroom, he froze. "...How horrifying this must have been." he muttered.  
Sendra's eyes fell to the handprint. "All because of a child." she said slowly, looking over the bed, which had surprisingly little blood on it. "She cradled me there... My mother loved me."

His fingernails scratched against the doorframe he had been leaning on as he put his hand into a fist angrily. "Humans did this, didn't they?" he muttered. "Or was it Desians looking for host bodies?"

She looked over at him. "Humans. I ran into the Desians on my way out of Luin later that night." she said, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

He closed his eyes, sighing. "They did this because you are a half-elf..." he muttered. "Humans are so... shallow and conceited..."

She forced a smile, moving over to the bed and kneeling there. She ran her hands over the dusty sheets. She had nothing to add to that.

"All the more reason to continue my quest..." Mithos said quietly, peering in the general direction of Sendra. "Half-elves will have no need to hide any longer..."

She looked back at him. "You have a good dream, Mithos." she said, standing and pulling the ribbon from her hair. She held out her hand out and closed her eyes, and a moment later a small, sharp, thin rock appeared there. She bent down to the handprint on the wall and pinned her hair ribbon just above it with the rock in the dying wood the house was made of. She smiled, holding her hand up to the handprint on the wall a moment before standing.

Mithos sighed, shaking his head. "Until I am able to fulfill my quest... this will keep happening. I just wish there was a short-term solution to all this..."

She looked up at him, smiling lightly. "If someone is truly strong, they will get over the discrimination against them and continue on with life proudly, or in secrecy. Or both." she said, walking past him calmly and running her hands along the wall. It was a miracle she didn't get any splinters doing that.

"And for those who aren't strong enough to overcome it?" he whispered slowly. "Are they to suffer at the hands of those who persecute them?"

"They are to become strong." she said, looking back at him. "Suffering is useless, learn to grow and look past it." she looked relatively calm for what she'd just seen.

"That is easy to say." Mithos said, gazing at her levelly. "But not all are strong enough to even realize that, much less look past the hatred. Humans and Elves alike treat us like we're animals because we're not exactly like they are. We are shunned from the Elves' home and pushed aside anywhere else. Most can't overcome something like that."

Sendra held up a hand. "Your sister desired a world without discrimination. I know it will happen, for her." she said simply. "Don't lose sight of what she wanted; we cannot lose ourselves in the present, or the past, if we want to see the future. The future of Half Elves acceptance." she said.

He looked away, crossing his arms in front of him in a stubborn sort of way. "I'll do anything for Martel." he said quietly. "I know we will be accepted one day, but... it's hard waiting."

She watched him. "It's only a day away." she said, stepping outside the house and back into Luin. The town was more awake now that the sun was fully out.

"How long is a day for us, though?" he asked, sighing and following her out the door, blinking in the bright light.

She shook her head lightly, not answering. He'd find out sooner or later. She brushed her hair with her fingers to straighten it a little until she could find another tie for it. She continued wandering Luin.

He wandered behind her, silent and trying not to make eye contact with anyone. He was rather angry at humans in general at the moment and didn't really want the interaction.

However, the interaction would come to them soon enough. An older man was just coming out of a shop, and he stared at Sendra for a moment. She hadn't noticed him, and he slipped away into another larger building that looked like a meeting place.

Mithos noticed the man, however. He saw the man slip away through the corner of his eye, and this nice little feeling of foreboding crept up his spine. He tugged cutely on Sendra's arm-sheath. "I'm not sure if it's wise of us to linger in town much longer..." he muttered, his eyes on the large building.

Sendra looked over at him, blinking lightly. "Why's that?" she asked. No one came from inside the building just yet.

"I just have a bad feeling about something." He said, eyes still warily on the building. "I've long ago learned to trust these feelings."

She looked over at the building, nodding lightly. "Perhaps... Let's go." she said, turning to walk the other way. Too late. A few of the villagers came outside from the building, one of them gasped. "You were right, Horace! That's the little half-elf we ran out of the town years ago!"

"I'm surprised she survived on her own. Probably stole her way through life."

"Who's that with her? Enough of a resemblance, could be her child! Despicable, the thought. Half elves BREEDING. Ugh."

"And look! A Desian weapon! She's probably been at that ranch helping them!"

"What are you people just standing around for? There's HALF ELVES in our village!"

"He's right! HEY! WE DON'T WANT YOUR KIND HERE!"

Mithos clenched his fists, head downcast and nearly shaking with rage. "...Humans..." he muttered, hardly audible. "Why do these people find it their duty to treat us this way?..." He didn't seem to want to move, merely glared at a patch of ground in front of him, rigid and breathing heavily.

Sendra closed her eyes a moment, turning around to face the villagers. "You forget. I am half elf, but I am also half human. In hating me and my kind, you hate half of yourselves." she said, turning around and placing a hand on Mithos's shoulder. "Let's go. I don't want to fight them unless they attack us." she said, putting enough pressure on him to tell him to start walking.

Mithos growled but started walking anyway, half hoping one of them would attack. Humans, why were they so... blind...

Sendra's words went in one ear and out the other to them, but they didn't attack. A red ball ran into Sendra's foot as she walked, and a boy came over to retrieve it. He stared at her before his mother snatched him up and she glared at Sendra. Sendra rolled her eyes and kept walking. The entire town was silent.

Mithos's anger was fading into annoyance, being replaced by a vague sadness. He finally looked up to watch where he was going and sighed, eyes sweeping the crowd swiftly. As much as he wanted to stay put to see what they'd do at this point, he kept walking.

Sendra scanned the crowd, and the woman with her child was standing there. Sadly, when the woman had snatched the child, they had left his ball behind. Around the time Sendra looked at the child in his squirming, he started screaming. The woman looked horrified, and she saw Sendra with her eyes on the boy. Uh oh. "Look! She must be doing something to him! He's screaming!!!" the woman yelled. What a lame way to get the town angry, but they seemed like they'd do anything just to start a fight anyway. Within a few seconds, they'd surrounded Sendra and Mithos. Sendra looked rather -.- ish.

"...One question." Mithos growled, sadness vanishing in the blink of an eye. "What the HELL do you suppose she's doing to that child merely by looking at him? Nothing in this world has that kind of power."

Sendra sighed lightly, she didn't want to have to do this. "We offered to leave. So let us, we don't want trouble." she said simply. The villagers didn't move nor answer either of them.

"These people are idiots..." Mithos muttered under his breath, so only Sendra could hear. He sighed heavily, clearly resisting the urge to just level the town and get it over with. "We don't want to cause trouble. Just let us go, please?" he said, adopting his adorable-child façade but failing somewhat in his blind rage.

"Even a half elf child doesn't deserve any mercy!" a random villager yelled.

Sendra was getting angry now. "Then why haven't you attacked yet?" she growled, pulling her spears from their sheaths.  
"Watch out!" Someone else yelled.

Sendra took very little notice. She held her spears close to her and closed her eyes, then everything went very quiet... "DARK SPHERE." she yelled, and the crowd around them was surrounded by darkness. A few people screamed, but only in confusion, and not in pain. Sendra grabbed Mithos by the hand and teleported them to the path outside Luin, near to where she had received her spear, whether that was by chance or not, only she knows. Once they were safely there, Sendra collapsed. That had been tiring.


	37. Sapped Strength

Mithos blinked several times, not having expected something like that to happen and confused now along with his rage. "...Nicely done," he commented finally, once regaining his bearings. "They'll be scared out of their wits for a while. Must make sure to tell Kvar he's not allowed to raid Luin for a while..."

"I wanted us out of there and I know I couldn't have fought my way through without injuring someone... Whether there was a better solution or not, it was all I could think to do." Sendra said breathlessly.

Mithos flopped down on the ground beside her, sighing. "It was a good idea and it needed to be done." he said. "I was just amazed you were able to pull something like that off..."

"I didn't even...know how. Just happened. I didn't want to hurt anyone and that was all I could think of." she said, putting her spears away, swaying lightly. "The crowd was bigger than I'd expected..."

"It was an impressive display of magic." he said, nodding and apparently only just noticing how weak she was. "...But clearly something that was a bit over your ability."

She steadied herself, looking up. "More than likely, I haven't done anything that big...Let alone seen something that big aside from the Summon Spirits."

He nodded, watching her warily in case she should collapse altogether. "We tend to be able to perform better then we thought we could when push comes to shove. Are you alright?"

"I feel all right but I dunno about much movement xx;" she admitted, having to steady herself again.

"Rest for a while then, and whatever you do, don't use magic." he said, looking back toward Luin in the semi-distance. "It's unlikely anyone will come looking for us, and if they do, they'll have me to deal with."

"They might be too confused to." she said, leaning backwards and letting herself lay back on the ground. "Beh...I'm glad we went, though."

He looked surprised at that. "Really? I suppose it must have been oddly therapeutic for you, to see your old home..."

"Brought back a blocked out part of my life." she smiled, "You've helped me resolve the two worst times in my life."

He shrugged. "Glad to have helped, I suppose." he said, gazing back toward Luin lazily. "When you're feeling better, we should head to the Ranch... I want to give Kvar that order before I forget to and I can't trust Pronyma to get it to him soon enough."

Sendra nodded lightly, leaning back up. "I ought to be alright, just...watch and make sure I don't fall, all right?"

He 'hmm'ed and looked at her again. "...It's against my better judgment, but I have no idea when Kvar is planning another raid. He could be mobilizing tonight for all I know." he stood up and offered a hand to help her to her feet. "I can only teleport us to the front gate, I'm afraid; we'll have to walk from there."

She nodded, standing with slight difficulty, and taking his hand. She looked alright aside from the occasional sway.

He sighed, transforming this time before they teleported to avoid stupid questions from Desians. In a flash, they stood outside the main gate of Kvar's ranch, the gate closed and no patrol obvious. He rolled his eyes. "Of course."

"...I seem to remember Forcystus's ranch having guards." she noted, pulling one of her spears out and using that to steady herself when she needed it.

"This one does too, they're just evidently a lot less intelligent." he said, walking up and kicking the gate. It rang, echoing around loudly, and a Desian poked his head up over the gate far above them.

"Who the hell-OH." he said, sounding very surprised. Without another word, he vanished and many, many large locks could be heard unlocking as the gate swung open.

Sendra shook her head lightly, smiling and oddly looking forward to this. She'd been inside the main gate of Forcystus's ranch and seen this one once before when they went to look for Pronyma, though that time was fuzzy at best. They'd been in and out so fast.

As soon as the gate was open wide enough for a person to walk through, Yggdrasill did so, glancing around as Desians of all sizes scampered and scrambled to bow as he passed. He paid them little attention as he headed for the doors that led into the building itself.

Sendra walked in behind him, she didn't stumble but she was using her spear as a walking stick, just in case.

Desians all around whispered to one another as they saw Sendra. Who was that girl with the Supreme Lord? The halls inside were filled with Desians milling about, and every one of them froze as the door opened and Yggdrasill walked through. Each one scrambling over one another in their haste to bow, many heads were knocked into. He ignored them as his eyes swept the hallway, trying to remember which way it was toward Kvar's officeplace. "I clearly don't spend enough time in these ranches, I can't remember the layout of one from another..."

Kvar, the blond, British, blue-clad Desian Grand Cardinal himself, was at the end of a hall, receiving a report from three random Desians, none of which had noticed the commotion on the other end of the hall. Sendra just followed Yggdrasill like a good puppy.

Two helmeted Desians managed to bang their heads together and the resulting clang echoed around the hallway several times, causing all other Desians to wince and/or cry out in alarm at the loud sound. Yggdrasill sighed in annoyance, proceeding down the hall with the intent of wandering around until he found someone useful or the control room. Whichever came first.

Kvar looked up. "What the devil was that?" he muttered, looking down the hall. Oh, hey, look...someone wearing a lot of white...Who does he know who wears a lot of white who could just barge right into his ranch--OH! Kvar snapped to attention and quickly walked down the hallway towards Yggdrasill. Once he reached him, he bowed deeply. "Lord Yggdrasill, to what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked once he stood back up. Sendra stepped beside and behind Yggdrasill.

"Thank goodness," he said in an annoyed sort of way, glaring down at Kvar. "I was afraid I'd have to comb this entire ranch for you. Simple orders- you are not allowed to raid Luin for host bodies for ten months. Understood?"

Kvar stared at him a moment. "Of course, my Lord, but may I ask...why?" he said, glancing a moment at Sendra but quickly returning his focus to Yggdrasill.

Yggdrasill sighed. "Sendra and I had a run-in with the entire village because of our bloodlines." he nodded toward Sendra and her spear. "As she is in possession of a Desian-class weapon, they were under the impression that she belongs to the ranch. I don't want the citizens to be under the impression that she has sent the Desians after Luin because of it."

Sendra held her spear a little tighter. Kvar blinked, NOW he was curious. "How on earth did she get a Desian-class weapon? I've never seen her before." he said, eyeing Sendra. He then looked at her spear. "…And why on earth is it colored so strangely? I didn't even recognize it as a Desian weapon."

Sendra chose to answer this one. "Because a Desian gave it to me. And because I painted it." she said simply.

Yggdrasill watched Kvar, interested in his reaction. "Normally Desians are hard-put to part with their weapons under any circumstances. Can you explain this?"

"I...well...No. I mean, the only way I can see her having that spear is if she stole it..." Kvar said as he stared at the weapon.

Sendra smiled lightly. "I am a half elf." she said, leaning on her spear. "I remember a Desian giving me this spear telling me it was because I was one of his kind. I was young, he may have sympathized with me."

Kvar blinked. "Well...I suppose that's possible..." he said slowly.

"Still, I have to question how wise it is to carry a Desian-class weapon when you're on earth." Yggdrasill muttered, narrowing his eyes at the spear.

She ran her hands along it. "It's good I have another then." she said, sheathing the Desian spear and pulling her other one out to lean on it instead.

Yggdrasill smirked. "Fair enough." He turned to Kvar. "Any other questions, or can I actually leave this hellhole you call a ranch?"

Kvar looked slightly insulted by that, but you do NOT snap at the Supreme Lord. Kvar nodded. "No, Lord Yggdrasill." he said, bowing again.

Sendra stumbled a little, regaining her balance in a moment.

Yggdrasill turned without a word and walked back down the hall, glancing over his shoulder briefly to make sure Sendra was following. Desians on either side of the hall scrambled to bow again, but he seemed not to see them.

Kvar turned around to continue reading his reports. Sendra followed Mithos, feeling better than she had before.

Yggdrasill walked out the gates and stopped, holding out his hand automatically for Sendra to take. "Blasted teleportation barriers." he muttered. "Is there any other place you feel like visiting, or would you rather go back to Vinheim and recover from the grand escape from Luin?"

"Recovering sounds good." she said, taking his hand with her hand that wasn't on the spear.

In a moment, they stood in one of the many book-filled rooms within the castle, complete with squishy furniture. Yggdrasill didn't appear to have picked any particular room, just one at random.

Sendra flopped back onto a squishy couch "Thank you."

"No problem." he said absently, wandering over to one of the bookcases and scanning it without much interest. "I have to wonder, sometimes, how many times I've read each and every one of these books..."

Sendra lay back on the couch and closed her eyes. "You're old enough to have read them...too many times." she said, shaking her head. "You should read some other books. Like in the Sybak library."

He 'hmm'ed in a noncommittal sort of way. "That's a thought I suppose..."

"No one'd notice in your child form anyway." she said, crossing her legs. "If you get that bored, anyway."

"True." he said, pulling on a book at random and settling into a chair. He stared at the cover of the book for a moment before tossing it aside and closing his eyes, sighing. "Not a bad idea now that I think about it."

Sendra's boot bobbed up and down. "You bored?" she asked, opening her eyes and looking over at him.

"Yes." he said plainly. "No different from nearly any other given hour."

She shrugged lightly. "You're welcome to go do something else."

"And what may that something else be?" he muttered. "I exhausted all actual work I had already in the time you were off being lost and having fun with the Chosen."

Sendra laughed lightly. "You have a point..." she said, laying her head back so it dropped off the back of the couch. "I'd ask if I could get some training drills in with you but I'm not so sure about it in my current condition."

He smirked. "That'd be interesting. See how long it takes for you to actually hit me."

"Hey. I got a hit or two in on Yuan. I may not be as amazing as you but I'm not...that bad." she said, smiling even if she knew she probably would do very badly against him.

He chuckled. "I'd like to see just what your limits are, actually." he said, leaning back in his chair and smirking, his hands behind his head. "But not until you're back to full capacity."

"Butbut..." she rolled over to look at him with a whiney face, even if she didn't want to try until she was better anyway.

"Do not disobey your Lord," he said, though it was in a teasing manner. "You're not to use magic, or indeed move in excess at all, until you're back to normal. Understood?"

"Mean." she said, rolling back over and 'huffing' in that misbehaving teenager way. Though she was smiling enough to show she didn't mean it.

He smirked. "I still say that was an impressive show of magic in Luin, even if it was accidental."

She shrugged. "They caused the trouble, I finished it." she said, laying her head back and relaxing her arms.

"Simple enough way of looking at it." he said, nodding. "Be careful, though. Had that been much stronger a spell I'm not sure you'd have held up through it."

She smiled. "I'll consider myself lucky to be alive. I probably could have just cast the spell on the people who could see us, but...I kinda lost control, I suppose."

"You are untrained in combative magic. That is to be expected." he said shortly. "Though you clearly know something about it from somewhere to know that particular spell."

"That's basically what you told me to do when we were training waiting for Aska."

"Yes, but that is a spell that has effects other then blinding an opponent if used correctly." he said, the wings at his wrists twitching and giving an odd effect, as he still held his hands behind his head. "I doubt you were able to pull off anything other then blinding them, though. I hope so anyway."

"I doubt it... The spell would have reacted to my anger, I'd assume. I wasn't that mad." she said, shaking her head lightly. "If I'm even powerful enough to do something like that."

"I'm sure it was just blinding to them; I'd have felt it if you pulled off the spell outright." he closed his eyes, sighing. "Either way, it's good that you used it. I wouldn't have thought of blinding them."

"At least making it so they couldn't see us so we could get away without a fight." she said, smiling at the ceiling. "Told you, I'm good at making sure people don't know things until I want them to."

He smirked. "Closest I'd have gotten would have been to knock the entire town out for a bit while we got out of there. They were pissing me off too much for me to think rationally."

She laughed. "That's understandable. They just wanted a fight. It's probably a good thing we got out when we did." she looked over at him. "I was afraid you'd get too pissed off and plow Luin into the ground. Another reason I wanted out of there."

"I wouldn't have done that..." he muttered, "Maybe a couple buildings, but not the whole town..."

She rolled her eyes. "Uh huh." she said, closing her eyes and laying her head back again. "You're cute when you're mad in your kiddie form."

He blinked. Then he blinked again, processing that. "...What?" he finally settled on, not sure he had caught that.

Sendra laughed. "You were cute being a pissed-off twelve year old."

"...I see." he said, blinking again. "I'm not entirely sure whether that's a good thing or not."

Sendra smiled. "Consider it good until you're fighting someone. Forgive me, but the tempter-tantrum twelve-year-old look isn't wonderfully threatening." she said, hoping she got away with that.

That actually made him smile. "I don't need to be threatening when I can level nearly any being with a flick of my wrist."

"...True. But still. You were adowable." she said, tapping her foot on the air again.

He shook his head, still smiling. "You're a very strange person, Sendra."

"What? In the fact that I can get away with calling a 3000-year-old Cruxis leader "adowable"?" she grinned at him

He snorted. "...We'll go with that one, yeah. Now that you mention it, that is pretty strange."

She smiled. "Hey, at least I'm only saying that to you. I could go spreading that all over Cruxis."

"You do and I'll kill you." he said smoothly, smirking. "Even if I ... still don't understand why you thought that in the first place."

She shook her head lightly. "Oh I won't. I'm a good girl at heart." she said, putting on a COMPLETE INNOCENCE look.

"No you're not." he said simply. "You're a former assassin and work for Cruxis now. You're NOT a good girl at heart."

"Spoilsport." she said just as simply, now putting on a pouty look.

He shook his head again. "I don't understand you. I think I'll take it on as my personal vendetta to try and understand you. That'll kill most of the boredom I experience, I'm sure."

She grinned. "Oh that'll entertain you until Martel comes back. :" she said, rolling over on the couch and staring at him much like a dog would when said dog wants to play REALLY BADLY.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "I have no doubts about that whatsoever." he paused. "...And stop staring at me like that. It's rather creepy."

"Whyyyy?" she chanted. She was apparently feeling better. Or restless. Or...I'm not sure.

"...Don't try me." he muttered. "I don't interact with 'cute' well."

Sendra laughed, quitting with the look, but she lifted her feet up and tapped them on the air more "C'mon, you said you wanted to understand me."

"And... you staring at me in a creepy manner will lead me to understanding you?" he said slowly, blinking. "Explain."

She shrugged. "I dunno." she said, beaming.

He sighed. "This will be even harder then I thought."

"Well I'm sure not gonna make it easy on you." she grinned.

"We're sleepless and nearly immortal - I've got plenty of time." he said, smirking at her.

She smiled, shaking her head lightly. It'll be interesting with him trying to get into someone else's head, perhaps he should have done it sooner. "Am I better now?"

"Can you stand up without falling over?" he asked, watching her. This was going to be a loooong eternity.

She stood up slowly, not swaying. "...Apparently." she said, twirling. Though she did manage to keep her own balance, her foot hit the book he had tossed away earlier and she fell backwards on the couch again. "THAT had nothing to do with it."

He snorted, then outright laughed at her. "I'd say you're better then. You just need to work on watching where you step."

"You watch where you're tossing boring books." she frowned.

"Not my problem." he said, shrugging lightly and leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees now. "You're the one who decided to dance in the middle of a library."

"But books don't usually sit on the floor just waiting to trip people either." she said, standing again.

He chuckled. "True enough. Why so eager to be well again? Ready to get shown up already?"

" . Not exactly in those words, but yes." She pulled both of her spears out, looking them over.

He stood up, smirking. "I don't doubt your strength, but go ahead - try to hit me. Give it everything you've got. Who knows, you might impress me."


	38. Attack and Dodge

"...In a library?" Sendra snorted, looking over one of her spearheads at him

"Why not?" Yggdrasill shrugged. "It's not as if there's anything that will truly be hurt by it."

She shrugged as well. "A'ight then." she said, tapping her spears on the ground. She vaulted with them, going over him to test the waters of how he'd react to that. She knew better than to attack right off.

He merely stood there, waiting. He didn't even turn around to face her; in fact, he had his eyes closed.

Sendra couldn't tell that, but the fact that he hadn't moved was more worrying than comforting. Once she landed, she turned quickly and using the force of the turn to swing her spears at his left arm, even if he caught one the other one would hit.

He turned at the last possible second and there was a small flash of light, and both of her spears were sent backwards and away from him by the spell. They'd come within half an inch of hitting him before he decided to stop them. "You need to try harder then that." he said softly, though he was smirking in an almost wicked sort of way.

She smiled, pulling them back towards herself. "Obviously." she said, tapping her spears on the ground once more and vaulting again, over him.

He sighed, crossing his arms and again closing his eyes, waiting for her to attack.

She grinned, well if HE used magic... She conjured the equivalent of a barrelful of water above his head, only without the barrel. At the same time, she swung at his legs with her spears, where his arms wouldn't be in the way.

He smirked again, his wings appearing in an instant and hovering just over the point where her spears would have contacted. Oddly, the water that should have come crashing down on top of him had contracted into a long, snakelike band of water that coiled and writhed before evaporating quickly at the twitch of his fingertips. "Tricky, but unwise to challenge me in elements. Try again."

Sendra smiled, pulling her spears back. She stepped backwards and tapped her spears on the ground again, she seemed to do that before she vaulted, which she did again, vaulting back to where she stood a moment ago, but she used the extra momentum to slam her spears down on his shoulders.

He caught both spears and ducked under them, not having expected something like that and somewhat impressed. "Not bad." he said, letting go of one of the spears but twisting the other one at an odd angle in a vague effort to make her drop it..

Sendra kept a hold on the spear he twisted, and swung the other at his hand to get him to let go of it.

He let go of the spear and caught the other one instead, tossing it lightly away from him.

She stepped backwards, tapping her spears as usual and attempting another vault, though she didn't go over him, she aimed her left boot at his chest, keeping her right leg bent and away from him, and her spears up by her head.

He sighed and stepped to the side, catching her ankle in midair. "Such an unvaried fighting style." he said dully, pulling her ankle further to the side before letting go. "Try something different, why don't you?"

She grinned, while his hands were busy with her left boot, she straightened her right leg, bending her right and sending her right boot into his chest. She pulled her spears down from around her head and hooked them behind his neck.

He hadn't been expecting that, and he reacted on instinct, fading out a split-second before he'd have been hit and reappearing instantly behind her. "Well, that was different anyway."

She landed on her feet, her spears unhooked and at her side. "Doing the same thing over and over again lures the opponent into a false sense of security, making them think they know what's coming. Now it gets fun." she said while turning around. She held her spears at the center, rather than near the end where she had before. She held them tightly, figuring this to be near suicide, but she might as well try. She was better at hand-to-hand combat anyway. She charged, swinging one spear to hit his legs and the other around the neck.

She had a plan and hoped to heck it worked.

He blocked the one swung at his neck by catching it in one hand, the other was jolted away by the same magic as before. "You're getting sharper!" he said, twisting the spear he had in his grasp again and pulling on it, smirking.

Sendra changed which hands held onto the spear he was twisting and let herself be pulled. She let herself drop to the floor in front of him as deadweight, and yanked on the spear, her other spear being held in the crook of her thumb, easy access anyway.

The momentum of her yanking on the spear managed to uproot him slightly, pulling him forward with it. He seemed reluctant to actually attack her for some reason, so merely stiffened in anticipation of her next attempt.

Sendra stood back up again, putting the spears side-by-side and getting a firm grip on both (while making sure he couldn't reach the second one), and yanked one more time on them, then thrusting them forward, at him, and upwards a bit.

Thinking quickly and seeing no other way out of it, he vanished from the spot and reappeared directly behind her. He wrapped his left arm around her neck and grabbed her upper arm with the other, lifting her up slightly from the floor to off-balance her. "Trying to kill me now?" he asked in an almost playful way, smirking at her.

She looked back at him, smiling. "You're too smart for that." she said, swallowing and taking her weight off the floor, swinging her legs backwards to kick him in the stomach, hopefully he'd let go before she had to get out of the choke-grip.

Still smirking, he released her neck but gripped her arm tighter, pulling gently to move her and barely avoid getting kicked.

She let her feet drop out from under her, again deadweight in his hands, hoping he'd either let go or fall.

He did neither, rather, he was pulled off-balance just enough to lean over and grab her other wrist, pulling her up again and holding her as still as he could. "This is quite amusing. You're a better fighter then I thought."

She smiled. "Glad I can entertain." she said, kicking at him and aiming for _that spot_. She normally only did that if she needed to, but she didn't really see him letting go any other way, if he even let go this time.

He vanished and reappeared several feet away from and in front of her, an amused expression on his face. He chuckled. "Now you're just playing dirty." he said, smirking at her.

She let herself drop to the floor but got up again easily, collecting her spears. "It got you to let go, didn't it?" she grinned.

He half-shrugged, half-nodded. "I never said it was ineffective."

She nodded. "True enough." she said, holding her spears out in front of her, parallel to each other, and at an arms length. She vanished, appearing again directly where she'd meant to, with her spears at his neck. "Been practicing teleporting. And if YOU'RE going to, it'd be unfair to say I can't."

He paused, still as stone as he looked down at her, aware of the pointy metal objects at his neck. He closed his eyes after a moment, a slight grin forming. "I suppose I have to stop underestimating you if I'm going to get anywhere." he said, not the least bit phased by her spears, but impressed that Sendra had managed to do that, at least.. "You got me."

Sendra grinned. "Yay!" she lowered her spears, stepping back.

He nodded. "Next time, I'll make sure to treat you as an actual enemy." he said, smirking at her. "No playing."

She sheathed her spears. "Good fight, better than with Yuan. He was boring and didn't attack me much."

"He probably didn't want to hurt you." he said, his wings fading away now. "It'll take a while for him to trust your skill, I'd expect."

She nodded lightly. "I put a bit more into this fight anyway." she said, plopping onto the floor crosslegged.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "And why's that? Didn't see Yuan as much of a threat?"

"No, I was unaware how powerful he was. I saw him as a threat, but I didn't know quite how much. Now that I'd seen a bit of the power in the Cruxis leaders, I put more of myself into this battle."

"Ah," he said, nodding. "Understandable, then." he paused. "...This room is full of chairs. Why are you sitting on the floor?"

She looked around, and then shrugged. "Dunno rightly."

He shook his head vaguely. "I'm beginning to doubt how wise I was to take up the challenge of understanding you."

She grinned. "Here's a hint. I do whatever I feel like doing, regardless of my surroundings. I felt like sitting on the floor. I could have sat in a chair, but, well, I felt like sitting on the floor."

"So basically, you're completely unpredictable." he said casually, sitting in a chair at random and crossing one leg over the other. "Wonderfully helpful."

"Well you found something out, didn't you? I'm unpredictable, which means you understand a little more of my mind. Be proud!" she beamed.

He sighed. "Yes, I understand just enough to know it's damn near impossible to understand you."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. Give it a few thousand years." she said, twirling on the floor and laying down with her head pointed at him in his chair, looking upside down at him.

"...It'll take about that long, too." he muttered, shaking his head at her. "What a way to kill time."

She giggled, shaking her head. She stopped after a second, blinking. "Oh!" she laughed, sitting up again and grabbing a handful of her hair. "I haven't gone this long without a hairtie in a while."

He tilted his head to the side slightly. "Why do you need one? You're always complaining about forgetting to tie your bangs back, you might as well leave the rest loose too."

She shrugged. "I...have no idea really. It's just weird without one." she said, letting go of her hair.

"You don't seem to know why you do a lot of what you do." he said, watching her.

"I'm unpredictable, remember? I used to keep my hair in a tight ponytail, but it kept almost-falling, so I just left it there."

He sighed. "My point is that you can't seem to predict half of your own actions."

She smiled. "I knew I wanted to sit on the floor, though. Just didn't have a reason to." she said, laying back down.

"I can't say that's very rational." he muttered. "But if you've lived as long as you have and in your line of work like that, I can't argue."

"If I have reason to do something, I usually will. But there was as little reason to sit in a chair as there was to sit on the floor."

"You're equally comfortable on the floor as in a chair?" he asked, blinking.

"I used to sleep on the ground most of the time, and the beds in inns aren't that much better." she said, smiling. "I've gotten used to it, so yes."

He shrugged. "You have plausible excuses anyway." he said, smiling. "If nothing else, that's effective."

She nodded, tapping her foot on the air. "You're catching on already!"

"That doesn't mean I understand what I'm catching up with." he muttered. "You seem to be several enigmas wrapped into an oxymoron. All the more fun when I finally unravel it."

"I'm just awesome that way." she said, sitting back up and instead of just sitting there like a lump, she stretched her legs out.

He watched her for lack of anything else to do, trying to figure out how she could possibly be such a fighter and at the same time, a fairly kind person. A deep and involved person indeed.

Once her legs were stretched out enough she got down into the splits, then looked up at him "Whatcha thinking about now?" she asked as one of her joints audibly popped.

"You and your odd ways." he said simply, watching unflinchingly. "Your flexibility is almost disgusting, you know."

She laughed. "You're saying you can't do the splits?" she asked, looking very amused by that.

He snorted. "No. What makes you think I could?"

Sendra smiled. "I have to be flexible to be as good of a melee fighter as I am." she said, another joint popped and she closed her legs behind her, somersaulted, and ended up cross-legged in front of him again. "You should learn. Never know what could come in handy."

"Mmm... no." he said, not even trying to fake sounding considering of it. "It's been a long time since I had to actually fight with my hands, and you don't need to be that flexible to be a spell caster."

Sendra pouted. "I'm gonna laugh when you get into a situation you need to be flexible in and you're noooot."

He scoffed. "Name a situation like that that I couldn't get out of some other way."

She paused. "...I can't. But when it comes I'm still gonna laugh!"

He chuckled. "You may be waiting a while for that laughter then."

She shook her head a little. "Well, if you get bored it's something to entertain you, learn something new." she said, running her hands along the floor.

He paused. "...How do you learn to be flexible, anyway?" he muttered. "It doesn't seem like something you can just pick up."

"It takes practice, stretching your body a little more every time you try. It can be relaxing, too." she smiled.

He didn't seem to have a reply to that, merely nodded vaguely. "If you say so."

She shook her head lightly. "Nowwhat?"

He paused, thinking. "...I'm long out of ideas." he said after a moment. "Ran out of things that interested me long ago, so it seems."

She rolled her eyes. "Up to me, then?"

"I guess so." he said, smirking at her. "Any bright ideas?"

"Wanna go riding?" she beamed, knowing the answer right off, but she may as well ask!

He closed his eyes briefly, took a deep breath, and opened them again. Apparently as a calming measure to keep his temper. "No." he said flatly.

"Phooey." she said, pouting at him.

He didn't seem amused. "Try again," he said, "With something slightly less stupid."

"Hey." she said, sounding rather insulted at that. She paused a moment, and then poked him in the knee. "Tag." she said, vanishing them both to the middle of some random field...Without any chairs.


	39. At the Cliffside

Ooooh she was asking for it.

Yggdrasill fell painfully onto his back, and just sort of laid there for a moment before slowly sitting up and glaring at her. "You are dead." he muttered, though he made no move toward actually doing anything to her.

Sendra grinned, waving. "C'mon now, we're here for a reason. I wouldn't do something that stupid without a reasonnn. 8D"

He switched positions to one of sitting on his knees, leaning slightly forward on his hands, each on either side of him. "Explain fast." he muttered.

"The trip is half the fun of getting there." she said, standing and holding out her hand to him. "I promise, if this doesn't make up for the surprise landing, you're allowed to kill me." she said, smiling.

He stared at her hand for a moment before reluctantly taking it and getting to his feet. "I'd hope the other half is more fun then the first." he muttered.

She headed to one corner of the field. "The guardian of Vinheim told me you spend a lot of time in the map room, right?" she said, staying close enough to him so she could watch his reactions easily.

"...Yes..." he said slowly, blinking. Wtf did that have to do with anything?

"Well I can't say anything for Tethe'alla, but I have traveled all around Sylvarant. And if I didn't have a job, I'd come here to sleep." she said, and as they walked closer to that corner of the field, it looked more and more like said field just dropped off into the sky, rather than keep going as normal ground would. "You can see most of Sylvarant from here." she said, when they'd reached the top of a high cliff, that apparently overlooked Iselia directly, but it was clear that day, and you could see all the way to Luin.

He stopped, gazing out across the vast land before him. He blinked several times, taking everything in. "...I had no idea this was even possible..." he muttered.

She looked over at him. "Still feel like killing me?" she asked, smiling.

He took a few moments to answer. "...Nah. No real reason to. I'll just string you up by your wrists for a few hours in the dungeons." he smirked over his shoulder at her. "Fair trade?"

She rolled her eyes, although she couldn't tell if he was serious or not. "Fair enough." she said, looking out over Sylvarant. "...Vinheim has dungeons?"

"Yes," he said, chuckling. "But they're rarely used or accessed."

"Yay, dust." she mumbled, sitting down and dropping her legs off the cliffside. "I've almost fallen off a few times up here. Luckily I never rolled off when I was asleep."

"That probably wouldn't have been good," he said, peering over the edge of the cliff. 'Twas a looong way down.

She smiled. "Back then, no. Now..." she scooted off the cliff, pushing off of it with her boots, gliding a few feet or so, making her wings appear, and fluttered back up to face him. "Now, it's rather fun."

"Indeed," he said dully, not seeming amused. He gazed out over the horizon, wondering how it was possible for the view to be so wide-spread from this single point.

She fluttered to sit back where she was a moment ago, and made her wings disappear.

"How did you find this place?" he asked, simply amazed that it was so possible to see so far.

"I had a job in Iselia." she pointed down to the town. "I got there too late and my target'd already gone to bed, so I explored a bit."

"Quite an explorer you are." he muttered, glancing downward again. He sat down on the edge next to her, still gazing out over Sylvarant.

"Better than a map, isn't it?" she looked over at him, smiling.

"Not really..." he muttered. "Not when you're trying to find something in particular. Just for getting feel for things, though..." he nodded. "It's a lot better."

She put on a cute look. "Worth the pain in the butt isn't it? Meaning me of course." she clarified.

He snorted. "You're just trying to get out of the dungeons." he said, smirking at her. "But... I suppose, yes."

The cute look faltered. "...Had hoped you were kidding about that." she muttered through a smile.

"Now why would I kid when you've been pushing your luck since the day I found you?" he asked, leaning back on his hands and raising an eyebrow at her.

And now the cute look vanished completely, replaced with a sweatdrop. "Sheesh. A couple quick turns on a horse." she muttered, laying backwards completely in the grass, preferring to stare at the sky.

He chuckled. "That's not the entire reason, but you've got to learn before you make it a habit..." his smile faded. "Don't cross those who still call themselves superiors to you. With the possible exception of Remiel, since he can't really do anything to an equal no matter how superior he thinks he is."

She laughed lightly. "Would it help if I told you I honest-to-goodness forgot the consequences of teleporting somewhere where there were no chairs?" she offered.

"It would have helped if you actually said you were teleporting us somewhere first." he said dully. "Naturally, that isn't something that really applies after-the-fact."

"But I wanted it to be a surprise." she half-whined. "And on the note of Remiel, I could beat him up, him I am not worried about."

"You didn't have to say where we were going. Just that we were going somewhere." he sighed. "Use your head."

"Eh. We're all allowed mistakes in life." she said, watching clouds go by.

He looked upward, and after a moment, laid back to watch the sky as well. "Mistakes, yes. Blatant lapses in thinking, no."

"...Those sound like the same thing." she said, folding her arms behind her head.

"They're not, trust me." he said, though he sounded amused again.

Snedra shrugged, looking at the clouds. She paused a moment before speaking. "What was Martel like?"

He was silent for a few moments, thinking that over. "She was kind." he finally settled on. "It hurt her to see anyone or anything suffering, no matter who or what they were. She even sympathized with a dying plant, and did what she could to make it healthy if we had the time to stop and help it."

She swallowed, refraining comments on how that contradicted what he wanted, and nodded lightly. "I wonder if she'll like me." she mused. "With my former employment, anyway..."

He was silent for a few more moments. "I'm not sure," he said honestly. "She was tricky when it came to killing. Kratos, Yuan and I were forced to kill often on our journey to stop the war... she never really liked the thought of it, but at the same time, she knew we wouldn't have made it as long as we did without doing so." he paused again. "Until of course we were betrayed and those damn humans..." he trailed off, not seeming to want to finish his sentence.

She looked over at him. "I took up the job because no one cared who or what I was so long as I was efficient...what humans?"

He narrowed his eyes at the sky, glaring at nothing in particular. "...The humans that killed Martel." he said shortly.

She was clearly interested now. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but...what happened back then?" she said, watching him.

"I'm... not sure what you mean." he said slowly. "A lot happened. What exactly are you wondering?"

"To Martel. With the humans." she clarified, her expression was odd. Serious but compassionate.

Yggdrasill closed his eyes and was silent for a good minute or so before speaking. "It's been so long and I've gone over the memory so many times that... it's fuzzy in places. Like I've tried to block it out but can't." he said softly, eyes only half open as he gazed at the sky. "A human had been traveling with us, helping us... I don't even remember their name or if they were male or female. They helped us on the path to stopping the war... but turned on us for some reason and killed Martel." His voice darkened somewhat. "Because she had a Cruxis Crystal, her soul stayed within it long enough for me to bind her to the Great Seed with the eternal sword... which I doubt you know anything about."

"You explained the great seed to me, not the eternal sword." she said, tilting her head to the side. She started envying Yuan a little. He'd had much more time than she had to stop hating humans, but today had brought back memories. She would keep her promise to not reveal him, but still, she couldn't decide if she fully supported Mithos and his Age of Half Elves or not...

"There are... two summon spirits that I did not show you on our little journey." he said, shifting slightly and putting his arms behind his head. "Maxwell, the spirit of molecules, and Origin, the king of spirits. The eternal sword was given to me by Origin on my journey. It has power beyond all power, even calms all space and time. It is what I used to split the worlds in two, what keeps Derris-Kharlan hidden and close to earth, and is the source of a portion of my power."

She nodded a little. "Speaking of the summon spirits... why did a lot of them keep calling you Pact-breaker?"

"Mmm." He mumbled. "The... pact I originally made with them was apparently broken when I took the Seed to Derris-Kharlan and split the world. They didn't see that as saving it for some reason, though if I hadn't done it nobody would be alive by this point."

She smiled, rolling over to lie on her stomach and pick at the grass lazily, her feet still dropped off the edge of the cliff. "So... Do you also have a pact with Maxwell?"

"That's the only reason Exire is floating above the land in Tethe'alla." he said. "I still have control over the spirits, even if the pact is broken. I don't really understand how that is possible, but there you go."

Sendra looked over at him. "So why did Origin give you the sword?" she asked curiously.

"I asked him to make it in the first place." he said. "I even made it impossible for anyone to wield it unless you possess the blood of both human and elf. The sword is very picky - it only lets someone touch it if they have Origin's approval, and only lets them use it if they are a half-elf."

"I was unaware a sword had the option of being picky." she laughed. "Sorry, it just...sounded funny to me. x3"

"That sword makes the impossible possible." he said, smiling as well. "It can be picky if it wants to."

Sendra stared at nothing in the grass. "I understand a little more about why you want a world without discrimination now." she smiled. "I always knew why, I just understand more now."

He turned onto his side, propped up on one elbow. "...I'm glad." he said quietly. "I wouldn't tell that story to any random person, you know. I'm not sure why I've become attached to you, but I have."

She closed her eyes a moment. "Many others have been wondering that, too. Even Earnia, who doesn't know too much about your position in Cruxis." she said, smiling. "I personally think it's because I amuse you, a breath of fresh air of sorts." she shrugged.

He paused, thinking about that. "Could be..." he said quietly. "You're a new challenge, and you retain... life that is all but lost on Derris-Kharlan."

She smiled. "I'm strong, no matter how long I live with this," she tapped the Cruxis Crystal on her collarbone. "I won't lose that. You'll see."

"I hope you can stick to those words." he said, nodding. "Perhaps some measure of life will return to those lifeless beings that inhabit Derris-Kharlan because of your presence."

"Yuan told me you hadn't laughed in...well, way too long." she grinned at him, eyes open again. "I think life's already coming back."

That in itself made him smile. "I still think you'd like Yuan even more if you can get him to loosen up a bit. He's become stiff and to-the-point, but he used to be the one who wanted to make sure we didn't lose track of where we were headed. When we were on the long roads traveling between places, he was the one to lighten morale. Even Kratos would brighten up on occasion."

"You and he both had a connection to Martel, I think that connection soured you both." she looked over at him, and then started laughing at a thought in her head.

"...What's so funny?" he muttered, blinking. He wasn't sure he wanted to know but habit and curiosity forced him to ask.

She shook her head lightly "If we're ageless, then despite the fact you've been around for so long, you're a twelve year old." she grinned, shaking her head lightly. "The thought amuses me. I mean no insult to you, but..." she put on a mock voice. "The things twelve year olds are capable of these days, splitting worlds, commanding armies of angels, goodness!"

Yggdrasill took a moment to process that, but once he had, he burst out laughing at the absurdity. The thought had never occurred to him. He rolled back onto his back, still chuckling. "I suppose that's true in some ways. But age has little to do with years and more to do with experience... even if I am still technically twelve or thirteen, I've got the wisdom of someone much, much older."

She laughed lightly, gently poking his side. "See? You laughed again." she said, grinning.

He turned his head to look at her, smirking. "I wonder if it would be possible for you to bring Kratos some life as well, or if you'd just annoy him to death... probably the latter."

"In the times I've been with him, he wasn't that amused with me. Then again, we were battling a green...thingy... last time I saw him." she said, stretching her arms out in front of her and leaning her chin on the grass.

"A... green thingy." he said dully. "That's wonderfully descriptive."

"The former Tethe'alla chosen turned into it. I got no idea what it's called, I just distracted it for Kratos." she said.

"Oh." he said. "_That_ kind of green thingy. I understand now." He rolled onto his side again, facing her. "That's what happens when a crestless Cruxis Crystal or Exsphere are removed from the body. Or, in that particular case, if an unawakened Crystal is removed."

She nodded. "Yeah, that..." she shrugged. "Never seen one until then, so."

"You know what the ranches exist to do, correct?" he said, voice dulling slightly. It was beginning to darken now, the sun just beginning to set in the west.

"I think you explained it a while ago but I've already forgotten... Though from "host body", and "human ranch", and the general hatred for Desians around Sylvarant, I'd assume it'd because they harvest Humans for something." she said, pulling her arms back under her chin. "Seems like I know what for, but I can't remember." she muttered.

"It's for the manufacture of Exspheres." he said, watching her for a reaction. "Blank and unawakened Exspheres are set crestless into a human 'host body,' and that human is treated as poorly as you can imagine to get the Exsphere to awaken." he sighed. "Exspheres feed off of the misery of their host body. They are awakened by the extreme conditions and emotions the human they are cultivated in feels."

She nodded lightly, strangely unphazed by hearing that. "Ah, yes... I remember that now." she said, looking over at him. "If you were expecting a horrified reaction, as you can imagine, I used to take peoples lives for a living. I took a strange pleasure from it at times. As bad as that may sound to some, it doesn't phase me."

"I never know what to expect with you." he said, sighing. "I won't pretend to be displeased with your reaction, however."

"There's that, and when I remembered where I got my spear earlier today, I..." she trailed off, closing her eyes. "It'll sound stupid, trust me, but I felt connected to the Desians and Cruxis beyond what connection I had already." she looked over at him. "I mean, I feel like even back then I was just supposed to be a part of this... I guess."

"It's not out of the question." he said, considering that. "Plus, you are one of Mana that managed to escape my grasp. I can't tell you how surprised I was to hear that someone had escaped the careful system I had set up."

She nodded. "Funny what can happen when grandpa cheats on grandma." she mused, closing her eyes.

He chuckled. "Indeed... Still, it was something I hadn't realized was able to happen and I've taken a few measures to help keep it from happening again..."

She looked over at him, resisting snorts at what came to her mind when he said that. "Like what?"

He blinked. "Tweaking things within the church mostly. Boring things."

She shook her head lightly. "I'd tell you what I was thinking but I think you'd hurt your head hitting it on something." she said, smiling. She might've said 'but I don't want to corrupt the mind of an innocent twelve-year-old', but she figured she shouldn't push him.

"I can only imagine what your mind must have fluttered toward." he said, sighing. "Thank you for _not_ telling."

Sendra opened her eyes and looked over at him, chuckling a moment before closing her eyes again. She sighed. "Bah, now my mind's stuck in the gutter. Hate it when that happens."

He closed his eyes, shaking his head slowly. "Your personality knows no bounds, apparently." he muttered, smirking lightly. "A fighter by trade, but one who loves to laugh and gets her head stuck in the gutter. Interesting."

"I've also been known to toss the occasional food scrap to a stray animal." she noted, smiling. "Although, may interest you to know I killed because I had to, as I've said. I never liked killing someone, except that last man you helped with. I like being efficient in what I do. Make sense?"

He nodded. "Good to know. That's something that sets you apart from the Grand Cardinals, for sure."

She looked over at him again. "Enh?"

"Kvar in particular takes a certain satisfaction from killing." he said, sighing. "Rodyle's not much better. Forcystus is really the only one that is somewhat tame, and even then..."

"Pronyma and Kvar are the only two I've met." she shrugged. "Efficiency is usually confused with enjoyment. Though no one can say I wasn't efficient."

"Magnius holds control over the Palmacosta ranch." he said, looking at her. "You haven't heard that? I thought you mentioned you spent most of your time in the Palmacosta region."

She nodded. "I did. I never dealt much with the ranches. I knew where they were, I managed to not hear who ran any of them. Although if Magnius has red, red hair, then I've seen him."

"That's him." he said, nodding. "Probably the least intelligent of all the Cardinals."

"He looked like it." she chuckled. "I caught a glimpse of him in the middle of Palmacosta, probably looking for Hosts. I didn't stick around and was too far away, and not paying enough attention, to hear anything. I was on Brunt, and I don't think the Desians there were inclined to mess with him. He hadn't been fed yet and I'm sure he looked pretty pissed."

He grinned. "They may not look like much but they're not that stupid, no..." he said. "Sometimes I think the common Desian footmen are smarter then Magnius..."

"Brunt has a cheerful attitude, but he is not one to be messed with when he's angry." she smiled lightly. "Palomino stallion, I think. He showed up one night when I was sleeping in the middle of a field and he just kinda...stayed with me."

"Wondered how you and he found each other." he said, a thoughtful look on his face. "Interesting. A stroke of fate I suppose."

"He was curious as far as I know. I woke up in the middle of the night just in time to stop him from eating my hair. His herd was there at the time, and when I woke up in the morning, he was asleep next to me and his herd was gone. Probably wondered 'what's that thing?' and has been studying me or something." she grinned.

He chuckled. "Makes sense to me. He's smarter then many animals I've met. Kratos had an animal companion on our original journey, he was a smart creature... Not sure where it lives now."

"A year or so after Brunt found me, I'd managed to tire myself out so much that I didn't wake up when a bear came pretty close to attacking me. Brunt stomped on its chest and it ran off around the time I finally woke up." she smiled. "He's rather protective of his 'mommy'."

"It's a good thing he ended up snoozing beside you then, I suppose." he said lightly. "You might have been killed numerous times in the interim if he hadn't."

She nodded. "More than likely, more than once thieves have attacked and he's fought alongside me." she paused, blinking lightly. She became curious "...Huh... I wonder what would happen if you put a Cruxis Crystal on an animal."

He paused. "I've never tried before. I'm not sure it would be beneficial though, as Exspheres are created through human suffering..."

"True, but that's how they're created. Would the crystal know any different between a human body and an animal's?" she pondered this.

"It's possible the crystal would have some unwanted effect, but..." he paused, thinking. "The chances are slim that it would be life-threatening or unbearable."

She looked over at him. "Wanna see?" she smiled. "Brunt is a brave and strong horse, I trust you in saying it wouldn't be life-threatening. And he'll be glad to see us anyway."

He thought for a few more moments, then sat up and turned slightly to look at her. "I won't say that I'm not curious..." he muttered. "You're willing to test something like that out on your horse? You're sure?"

She sat up on her knees and nodded.

"I have a good feeling for some reason. I've learnt to trust my feelings." she said, nodding. "I would outlive him anyway now. It's worth a try."

He looked at her seriously for a few moments, before casting his gaze out across Sylvarant again, half of it in shadow now. "...Alright." he said after a slight pause. "I can supply the Crystal but I have no crests at hand. We'll have to 'borrow' one from a Ranch."

"'Borrow'?" she blinked, shrugging. "Let's go then!"


	40. Bruntastic

_A note from the Authoresses:_

_This chapter is deticated to Jenvaati, a devoted reader/reviewer of ours._

_-Kiara and Ceej_

Taking Over Heaven will now continue as usual

_----------------------------------------------------------_

He smirked. "Which Ranch?" he asked, getting to his feet. "It doesn't really matter of course, but perhaps you'd like to meet another of the Cardinals while we're at it. You'll have to know them all eventually anyway."

"Rodyle? Only heard of him at this point." she smiled. "He has an interesting name." she stood and brushed herself off, her stomach had a hint of green on it, but if there were grass stains on her clothes, you couldn't tell.

"Works for me." he said, extending a hand toward her as usual. "We'll go see Rodyle.

"She took his hand, resisted the STRONG temptation to pull them off the cliff just for the fun of it, and nodded. "To Rodyle!"

In a flash, they stood in the atrium of Rodyle's ranch, and they seemed to be underwater. He glanced around at the empty place, sighing. "I have no idea where Rodyle is, either..." he muttered, eying the several closed doors nearby. "Shall we explore and hope we get lucky as we did with Kvar?"

"Works for me." she said, nodding. "At least I'm not exhausted this time." she said, though preoccupied with looking around as a random, rather large, fishy swam past.

He picked a door at random and walked through it, entering a long hallway with glass walls and ceiling. "Hurray, we get to see just how deep underwater we are." he muttered in an undertone, eyes sweeping the nearly-empty hall. "Where is everyone, anyway?"

Two random Desian foot soldiers were walking along said hallway, but when they caught sight of Sendra and Mithos, they started running towards them, and once within a decent distance of them, they bowed "Lord Yggdrasill! Sh- should we take you to Lord Rodyle?" one of them stuttered while staring intently at the floor in his bow. Sendra bit her lip so she wouldn't giggle.

Yggdrasill stared down at the Desian with a blank expression. "Yes, that would save us a lot of time." he said simply, not seeming the least bit wrongfooted by the way the Desian spoke to the floor.

They snapped back up, it was a wonder they didn't break their backs. They turned around and started walking back down the hallway. Sendra shook her head lightly, smiling. "The things a twelve year old can do..." she muttered very quietly.

He followed the Desians, casting a warning look over his shoulder at Sendra as he walked, having just barely heard her. Thank-you, angel-hearing.

She smiled back innocently, figuring he'dve heard it. Also figuring he'd be the only one to hear it, as the Desians were very clueless.

They lead them to a foyer like area, where Rodyle was watching numbers float by on a largeish computer screen, back facing the visitors, so he hadn't noticed them until the other Desian bowed again to Mithos, and then announced: "Lord Yggdrasill to see you, Lord Rodyle!" he said, as the both of them bowed to Rodyle when he turned around, his glasses tilting when he raised a questioning eyebrow at Mithos, and an even more questioning look at Sendra.

Yggdrasill clasped his hands behind his back and inclined his head to Rodyle. "It's been a while, Rodyle. Surprisingly I haven't heard anything incriminating from Pronyma regarding your actions as of late, so I assume all goes well?"

"All goes very well, Lord Yggdrasill!" he said cheerfully, as he lightly glared at the Desians and waved them off, muttering, "shoo, shoo". He returned his focus to Mithos as the two Desians walked out another door. "May I inquire what brings you here?"

"We are in need of a Key Crest for an..." he glanced over his shoulder briefly at Sendra. "Experiment we are conducting." he looked back down at Rodyle. "Sendra here had the desire to borrow one of _your_ Key Crests."

Sendra beamed, and Rodyle blinked, pausing a moment. "May I ask Miss...Sendra?...'s relation to Cruxis?" he said slowly. Sendra smiled lightly, looking over at Mithos to see how he'd answer that.

He considered for a moment. "Sendra is a newly instated member who has much to offer. Her relationship to Cruxis is yet to be fully determined."

Sendra waved brightly, more to indicate herself rather than actually wave to someone. Rodyle blinked at her again, before shrugging and nodding, the answer was good enough. Plus he didn't dare question it. He pressed a random button on the control pad and a high-ranked looking Desian came into the room. "Go get a key crest from the vault." he ordered. The Desian nodded and bowed to both him and Yggdrasill before leaving. Rodyle turned back to Yggdrasill again, "He will be back in a moment with your key crest." he said simply.

"Thank you." he said, inclining his head once more. He glanced at Sendra again as if to make sure she hadn't wandered off.

She hadn't, she was looking around the room curiously. Rodyle was watching her, rather curious about her now. "May I ask what experiment you are conducting, Lord Yggdrasill?" he asked.

"The effects a Crystal has on an animal." he said, keeping a wary eye on Sendra. "In specific, a horse."

Sendra nodded. "My horse should be strong enough to support the Crystal should it have a bad reaction. I'm curious what it would do." she said, though she was looking at some random point in the room. Rodyle looked slightly disapproving at how distracted she seemed, but held his tongue. "I would be interested in that as well. Perhaps, if this experiment is successful, Cruxis could use it in some way." he noted.

Yggdrasill nodded. "I'm eager to see what will happen. Should the initial experiment be a success, more testing will have to be done, of course..."

Sendra shoved the thought of the experiment failing FAR back in her mind. The official-looking Desian returned through another door, a key crest held in his hand. He bowed once more and held it out to Yggdrasill. Rodyle smiled at how efficient his men were.

Yggdrasill took it without a word and stared for a moment, before smirking. "Sendra, you should hold onto this for now." he said, holding it out toward her.

She took it, holding it tightly but gently. Rodyle did a small bow. "Anything else we can do for you?" he asked.

"I don't think so." He said, looking back toward Rodyle. "Thank you for your assistance."

Rodyle nodded, turning around and returning to look at his numbers. Sendra looked over at Yggdrasill, holding out her hand this time.

"I know exactly where we're going. I might as well teleport us." she smiled.

He took her hand without a word, nodding. "Lead the way."

They vanished not a second later, and reappeared in front of Earnia's home. "I'd take us inside, but I don't want to appear in a room one of her nutcase servants is in." Sendra said, watching him. She waited for him to change forms before she'd knock. She didn't really care if everyone might be asleep at the moment, Earnia would probably want to watch this.

Mithos sighed and switched forms, waving a hand vaguely at his side and grasping something that presumably was summoned there.

He watched and waited, still running over probabilities of something going wrong in his head. Numbers were... slim... but there.

Sendra blinked at his hand, but banged on the door nonetheless.

It was several moments before footsteps could be heard inside, then a pause, then a female voice cried out indistinguishable words.

Another pause in which Mithos blinked several times and glanced at Sendra in slight alarm passed, then Earnia flung the door open, tucking her weapon back into her belt. She was still fully-clothed despite the hour that was growing late. She beamed at Sendra, not quite noticing Mithos yet. "Hi-lo Sendra! What brings you here?"

She smiled brightly. "Experimenting." she said simply. "I'd assume that was a maid this time? It was a female voice."

"Nah, that same damn butler." Earnia said, leaning back and gesturing toward the stunned butler lying on the floor, looking slightly charred. "I shot him with a spell. Heard the door even from upstairs and charged it up before I left my room. I hit him from the top of the staircase."

Sendra shook her head lightly. "He'll learn eventually. Anyway. I'd like to see Brunt. And I think you'd be interested in this, too."

Earnia looked slightly surprised, but nodded. "Okay. It's quicker if we go around from the outside." she said, stepping out of the door and closing it behind her. She finally noticed Mithos at this point, and she kind of froze for a moment when she remembered who he was. He merely nodded to her and hopped off the porch, heading around the building. She raised an eyebrow at Sendra before following him. "What're you experimenting with, anyway...?"

Sendra held up the key crest. "The effects of Cruxis Crystals on animals." she said, following along around the building. "We're hoping this goes well, the Crystal may reject him." she smiled. "I'm confident in his strength though. Plus, he'll just be happy to see me."

Mithos stopped before the stable doors, turning to wait for the girls. Earnia unlocked the door with a key from a ring on her belt, then threw the doors open wide to let in as much light as possible without bothering to light a candle.

Brunt, inside, instantly lit up at the sight of Sendra. He shuffled his hooves and murmured, anxious to see her. Sendra leaped past Mithos and Earnia and began petting and hugging and generally loving-on Brunt, who was glad for the affection. "Heyy, missed you" she could barely be heard saying through both his mane and her hair covering her face.

Mithos watched her for a moment, smiling very faintly. He cleared his throat after a moment. "It will be best if we take him out of the stable before applying the Crystal." he said, raising his hand and revealing what he had summoned, a pearlescent Crystal that glimmered of its own accord. "Not knowing what effect it will have, it'd be best to try to minimize damage done."

Earnia watched, wondering what exactly was going on.

Sendra nodded, holding her hand below Brunt's chin, in lieu of reins or a halter. She nudged him forward and lead him out of the stall. He shuffled from side to side a few times once outside, quite unsure of what he was doing outside without his saddle. Sendra kissed him on the nose lightly. "Be a good boy, eh?" she mumbled. He snorted.

Mithos approached Sendra and gazed at her seriously for a moment. "Can you apply the Crystal, or do you want me to?" he asked, holding up the Crystal. "I'm fine either way."

Earnia looked on from just outside the stable, slightly nervous.

Sendra was currently scratching Brunt's chin. "You. If he's confused, I need to be here if he gets jumpy." she held out the crest to him. "He already feels tense-ness around us."

Mithos nodded, taking the crest and placing the Crystal inside of it. He looked at Brunt as the Crystal flashed once, hoping it hadn't spooked the horse. "Easy, Brunt." he said, placing a hand on the horse's shoulder-flank. "Keep him still..." he muttered to Sendra, holding the Cruxis Crystal in his left hand.

Brunt was more focused on Sendra, since, even if she was the strongest person he could sense feelings from, he could feel the most tension from her. They were comforting each other more than she was comforting him.

Mithos placed the Crystal on Brunt's chest, and it glowed brightly and flashed a bit as it took hold. Earnia stifled a gasp at the light, holding a hand over her mouth and wondering if it would have woken anyone nearby up.

Brunt stepped backwards, as he couldn't see what touched his chest. Sendra let go of his chin and just watched a moment. Brunt looked very, very confused. He'd figured out that it was Mithos who touched him but...whoa...whoa...WHOA. Wings faded into appearance on his shoulderblades. Large, pearl-white wings that matched his crystal. His fur started changing color from the point of the Crystal and out, changing to a lighter, but still gold-cream color. His hooves changed from a dirty brownish color to the same pearly color his wings were, and they looked much stronger than they had. Brunt's eyes, even if you could barely see the iris, changed as well. Where they were brown, they changed to a green color, a sign of the bond he had with Sendra. And last but not least, a pearl white horn appeared on his forehead, with white fur forming into a blaze on his face where he did not have a mark before. Brunt's wings flapped as he looked around. Well, this was new.


	41. Night Flights

Earnia's jaw dropped, and Mithos had to fight to keep his from doing the same. He stared for a few moments, then swallowed hard. "Ah... well... that's... Nothing like I expected, somehow..."

Sendra beamed. "I KNEW it." she said, reaching out and petting Brunt's nose excitedly. Brunt, already slightly used to the new things, flapped his wings twice and neighed.

Earnia approached slowly, mouth still hanging open slightly. "Wow... that... but...whaaat..." she muttered. "...WOW." she repeated, laughing in a happily amazed sort of way. "That's... AMAZING."

Mithos seemed too shocked to speak, merely stared. Well, that was certainly a beneficial change...

Sendra nodded. "I know!" she said, nuzzling Brunt's nose. "Ya did good, buddy!" she said, hugging him. She petted his shoulder-flank and examined his wings. "They're so pretty... It looks like they took effect from his crystal, they're the same color."

"That happens a lot with the Mana line, actually." Mithos said, watching Brunt's wings. "Yuan has a red crystal, and his wings are pink. I've never actually seen red wings, come to think of it. They're almost always pink when one has a red Crystal, though you do see orange once in a while... Doesn't exactly explain the horn though."

"Perhaps something specific to horses? It may be different to other animals." she shrugged, petting his wings, smiling proudly.

"Could be." Mithos said, nodding.

Earnia, still smiling in an awestruck way, gingerly touched Brunt's other shoulder-flank, gazing at his wings. "This is kinda surreal..." she muttered.

Sendra, if anything, was just plain in shock. She rested her head a moment on Brunt's neck, and he swung his head around, nuzzling her shoulder.

Mithos smiled, watching them. "The attachment you two have is unmatched." he said, nodding in an approving sort of way. "Simply amazing..."

She looked over at him, smiling. "Look at his eyes. The bond we have shows." she said, ruffling Brunt's new, shiny mane. Even it looked more sparkly pearl white than it had before. She ducked under his wings and patted his back, considering testing out those wings.

Mithos nodded, still smiling vaguely. "He might even be able to go the Derris-Kharlan now, actually..." he mused, but Earnia pouted at those words.

Sendra smiled lightly. "I'm not entirely sure what to do. I know he doesn't like being separated, but the way I've been everywhere in the past week..." she shook her head. "I'll figure something out for him later on." she petted his back, pausing a moment before pushing herself up on his back. She didn't even give a visible order, Brunt sped off. Sendra said something inaudible over his hoof beats, and he flapped his wings a few times, and they took off into the air, circling around Earnia's mansion. Brunt could be heard, whinnying loudly, and happily. He loved this just as much as Sendra did, as she wasn't even holding on to him, but had her arms up in celebration.

Mithos laughed, looking upward and watching them.

Earnia pouted more and shouted at them. "I WANNA TUUUURN." she whined, though she was mostly teasing. Sendra deserved this.

Brunt swooped low over the two of them, Sendra could be heard laughing. He circled up and around again, landing where he'd taken off, and he trotted a circle around Earnia, only it was more of a strut.

She grinned widely, turning on the spot so she always faced him. "You're so majestic, Brunt!" she squealed, practically jumping up and down. "Them mares are gonna be even more all up ons now!"

Brunt held his head, if possible, higher. Sendra laughed, patting his shoulder "You ham." she grinned, Brunt snorted. He stopped on one side of Earnia, and Sendra hopped off, walking under Brunt's neck. "Go on." she grinned "Think of it as a thanks for putting him up. He'll be good for you." she said, eyeing him. "Right?"

You could tell Brunt was giving that "Of coooourse!" innocent look.

Sendra rolled her eyes. "He'll be fine."

Earnia squealed again and resisted the temptation to hop up and down in joy, instead pulling herself up on Brunt's back. "Glad I wore pants today instead of a skirt." she said, looking absolutely thrilled. "Let's go!"

Brunt circled past the stable, around Mithos, and off to where he took off, once again circling around Earnia's mansion. Sendra looked both proud and overjoyed.

Earnia had to resist screaming in joy, positively enthralled to be up there, riding on the back of a majestic winged unicorn. Mithos chuckled, grinning widely. He was more then a bit pleased at the result of that little experiment...

"I think he'll stay with Earnia for now…" Sendra said as she watched her horse circle. "I may look into something in Welgaia... I know Earnia likes him here, but he needs to be somewhere I am more often... At this point, that's Welgaia. I've teleported places with him before, so we should be alright."

"Perhaps that other singer you befriended can take care of him." Mithos suggested. "Come to think of it, he shouldn't need to sleep or eat anymore either."

"No, just somewhere to stay." she said, watching Brunt turn in to land now. "I'd even trust him to just wander around Welgaia on his own at this point, if he doesn't need to sleep. He'd follow Ren around anyway, probably."

Earnia's hair was fairly windswept by this point but she looked like she was having the time of her life, grinning from ear to ear and giggling like a schoolgirl. Mithos smirked at the ridiculously happy expression on her face.

Brunt trotted circles around Mithos now, eyeing him. Sendra laughed. "I think he likes showing off." she said, shaking her head lightly. Brunt was strutting again.

"So it seems." Mithos said, watching as Earnia slid off of Brunt without really waiting for him to stop. She managed to not fall on her rear end, and brushed herself off, not seeming to care about the state of her hair for the moment.

Brunt stopped in front of Mithos, turned, and looked him straight in the face. Sendra laughed. "Go on, Mithos. You said yourself, you trust him, it's my steering that scares you. :P"

"..." Mithos sighed. "Fine. But I'm never getting on him again if he pulls something in reply to your smug attitude." he said, then he paused, staring up at Brunt. "...Uh..."

Earnia resisted a laugh and offered a hand to help him onto Brunt's back, which he accepted grudgingly.

Sendra, surprisingly, didn't laugh at that. She instead walked over to Brunt's head and murmured something, backing away from him again. Once Mithos was on him securely, Brunt trotted off, speeding up to a gallop in time to take off.

Earnia raised an eyebrow at Sendra once Mithos was out of earshot. "What... exactly did you tell Brunt?" she asked with some measure of trepidation.

Mithos was wondering the same thing, but decided to let it drop for the moment, feeling the wind rush through his hair like this was sort of soothing.

Sendra shook her head. "He's probably paranoid I told him to pull some silly stunt. I just told him to fly a little longer than he had with us. Mithos sometimes just...needs to loosen up. I'm hoping that this will help." she smiled lightly. "Hoping anyway. He's been iffy on riding ever since...well, since he rode with me the first time."

Earnia smiled. "I'm almost afraid to ask. What'd you do to make a high-ranking angel so iffy about riding with you?"

Sendra snorted. "Ride normally. That's what I did." she smiled. "When I rode with you, it was in a straight line across the bridge. With him, we took turns and things. Which is why he doesn't like my steering. I'm also hoping riding on Brunt will help redeem me."

Brunt was still circling, his wings flapping smoothly.

"You've gotten in trouble over it recently haven't you?" Earnia asked smugly, nudging Sendra's shoulder with her own. "You don't strike me as the type to want redemption unless it's to avoid punishment."

Mithos was quite placid and peaceful at the moment, his eyes closed and thoughts wandering. This really wasn't so bad, no horrible sharp turns, no zig-zagging, just calm fluid movement.

"Depends on what you call recent." Sendra replied, her eyes on Brunt. "He's been around a long time. Angels are ageless, which is why he still looks young. For him, it probably was recent." she paused a moment. "Earnia, would you mind at all if I went up there? I don't want to be rude and just leave you." she said, taking her eyes off Brunt and looking at Earnia.

The Chosen smiled. "He doesn't look any older then fourteen..." she muttered. "Angels are fascinating. Don't feel bad about leaving me here, it's good to be out of that stuffy house anyway. G'head."

Sendra nodded, her wings appearing. She flapped them once or twice and flew up to fly alongside Brunt, about at Mithos's head and out of the way of Brunt's wings.

He opened one eye and peered at her, not saying anything for a few moments. "Come to make me paranoid about Brunt pulling some ridiculous stunt?" he asked, voice hardly audible over Brunt's wings.

She shook her head. "No. I told him to let you ride longer than he had with Earnia and I." she smiled. "You seem to be enjoying it."

He closed his eyes again and sighed. "Yes. I haven't been quite this relaxed in a while, or so it feels..."

She smiled, doing her own little roll in the air. "I figured you would. Mostly why I told him to." she reached out and put a hand on Mithos's shoulder. "Just tell him when you want to come down. He should understand. He needs the exercise anyway."

He nodded. "Just a few more minutes..." he muttered, reminiscent of a child unwilling to get out of bed in the morning. "I like this..."

"Stay up as long as you like." she said, taking her hand off his shoulder and flying off, landing next to Earnia again.

Earnia had settled herself sitting on the grass, looking straight up into the star-strewn sky. "This is an amazing life I've been dropped into." she said as Sendra landed. "Flying Unicorns and angels and... aristocrats and pushy servants..."

Sendra smiled, nodding. Her wings faded off and she laid back in the grass. "I think I'm rather in the same situation. Only I'm just now feeling it." she said, watching the white dot in the sky again.

"You've been an angel for... almost two weeks?" she asked, looking sideways at Sendra. "How is it only now sinking in?"

"I don't think my mind has really...stopped moving until now." she smiled. "The bond I have with Brunt may explain it as well. Only half of me became an angel when I received my crystal...Now, all of me...us...is."

"That makes sense..." Earnia muttered. "Now the two of you can be together forever." she grinned widely, looking back up. "As one."

Sendra smiled lightly. "Indeed... Would you mind, if he went back to the Angel city with me?" she asked.

"I'll miss him, but he's yours, of course he can go." she said, nodding. "He'll probably be happier up there anyway."

Sendra nodded. "Thank you." she said, laying back and closing her eyes. If Mithos was looking, Brunt was turning his neck lightly to check on him every once and a while.

He wasn't actually, he seemed to be locked in his own thoughts. Eventually he sighed gently and leaned forward, patting Brunt's neck. "Let's go back down." he said simply.

Brunt murmured in reply, turning in to land.

Earnia hummed lightly to herself, watching the stars. "Will you still come visit me after Brunt's all settled in the Angel city?" she asked, mock-pouting at Sendra.

Sendra laughed, putting an arm around Earnia. "Of course, I wouldn't miss a visit with my favorite chosen!"

"Yay!" Earnia said, grinning. She looked around as she heard wing beats again. "Oh, looks like they're coming back."

Sendra nodded, getting up and watching as Brunt got contact with the ground, and he stopped flapping his wings. He slowed next to

Sendra, putting his chin in her hand automatically. Sendra smiled, kissing his forehead. She ducked under his wing and looked up at Mithos. "Enjoyed it?"

He nodded, smoothing out his very wind-blown hair. He shook his head vigorously in an attempt to make his hair sit right, though that really didn't do a lot of good. He sighed, swinging one leg over and sliding off of Brunt, coming into contact with the ground later then he had expected and flinching. "I hate being shorter then I'm used to." he muttered.

Sendra put a hand on his shoulder. "Careful getting off that quick, too. Your legs will get used to having a horse between them and not supporting your weight, it makes you stumble if you get off too quickly." she grinned, once she was satisfied he wouldn't fall over, she let go of him, and went to patting Brunt on the shoulder, she mumbled "Good job" to him.

Mithos muttered something indistinguishable and flopped onto the grass, still looking kinda zoned out. He sighed again, laying back and staring up at the sky. "Where shall we go next then, Sendra?" he asked vaguely.

Earnia hugged her knees, watching both angels plus angelic horsey with interest.


	42. New Clothes

Sendra looked back at him. "I want to do one thing first..." she smiled, "And then, I want to go to Altamira." she said, leaning against Brunt's side, who didn't mind at all and just leaned back to support her. Sendra smiled down at Mithos. "I saw it on a map, and a billboard in Meltokio. It sounded interesting.

"Ooh!!" Earnia said, squealing happily and making Mithos flinch at the pitch in her voice, though she didn't realize it. "Altamira is an awesome place! Particularly at night!" she beamed, then glanced at Mithos. "Uuh... I'm not sure if they'd allow him in though. I don't know what their policies on kids are, and despite any age you may be, you LOOK like a kid."

Mithos nodded. "We'll figure something out." he muttered without conviction.

Sendra smiled lightly. "Earnia? I'm going to take Brunt with me, okay?" she said, running a hand along his wing beside her.

"'Kay. I'll figure out some way to explain his sudden disappearance." she said, smiling.

Mithos paused. "Where is it you want to go, anyway?" he asked, looking up at her from his spot on the ground. "Just back to the Angel city?"

Sendra grinned, holding her finger to her mouth. "Shh. It's a secret. Don't worry, nowhere dangerous. It'll be a quick stop." she said, leaning away from Brunt and holding a hand down to Mithos. "If we go now, we could get to Altamira before the night owls go to bed."

"People go to bed in Altamira?" Earnia asked jokingly. "I didn't know that."

Mithos smirked, standing up and taking Sendra's hand. "Lead the way, then."

Sendra grinned at Earnia. "Only if they're drunk enough." she said, putting her other hand on Brunt. In a moment, they were standing in front of an official-looking stable/barn place. Judging by the surroundings, it was outside Izoold. Horses could be heard inside, even if it was at night. Sendra let go of Mithos, and placed her hands on Brunt's shoulders with slight difficulty. She closed her eyes, and after a minute or so, Brunt's wings faded away, much to his dismay. "It's alright, I'll put them back later. This is important, buddy." she said, placing her hand on his forehead, and the horn faded away as well after a longer minute. She nodded. "Alright, he's ready."

"What on earth are you doing, Sendra?" Mithos asked, watching her fade away Brunt's wings and horn. "Going to show him off to the other horses or something equally strange?"

Sendra laughed. "Nah." she said, motioning for him to follow her and Brunt as they walked towards the stable. "Brunt is a prize stallion. _Stallion_." she said. "When they breed horses, the horse usually becomes a horse made for the purpose of breeding." she said, looking at the horses they passed, stopping at a mare every once and a while. "And just in case you were wondering..." she said, looking at a palomino, strong looking mare. She looked at the name on her stall-- Twilight --and continued. "I'm going to...well... they're going to make Earnia a gift." she nodded at Twilight.

"Oh." he muttered. "Should have known." he shook his head vaguely. "I still have to question your attachment to the Chosen, but I know better then to argue with you..."

She eyed him. "Yeah. You do. I know what it means to befriend her." she said simply. She continued walking to the end of the hallway. "That's a conversation for another time, however." she said, stopping when they reached the door to an office like area.

Sendra put her ear on the door, and then stumbled away from it as a VERY audible SNOOOOOOOOOOOORE was heard. She shook her head and kicked the door, it was strong enough to hold, but a thud from inside signaled that she'd woken up whoever was there.

Mithos snorted. "You're such a nice person." he said, smirking at her.

"He owes me a favor anyway. One of his horses got away and Brunt was the only one who could catch him." she said, as the door opened. A very tired looking man stared at her. "Sendra? What the bugger do you think you're DOING? IT'S ONE IN THE MORNING!" he would-have hollered, were his voice working right after just waking up.

Sendra laughed. "Whatever, Henry. You owe me, and I know what I want now." she said simply.

He looked confused, "Wha'?" he asked, staring. She smiled. "Twilight." she nodded down to the mare. "I want her and this horse to breed. The pregnancy might take less time, I'm not entirely sure. But you do owe me." she said, staring at him intently. Henry shrugged lightly. "Go put 'em together then. Shall I send a contact to your workplace when I fin' out Twilight's gotta foal?" he asked.

Mithos perked up. "Send word to the nearest House of Salvation, actually." he said. "We'll hear about it, trust me."

Sendra nodded. Henry stared at Mithos, then Sendra, then Mithos, and then Sendra again. He shrugged again. "A'ight. A'ight. Go...Go put them together and I'll...I'll see about it tomorrow." he said between yawns. Sendra shook her head lightly, tapping Brunt.

"C'mon!" she said, jogging off back to Twilight's stall, Brunt trotting at her side. Henry closed the door, shaking his head.

Mithos wandered after her, wondering if that Henry person would remember anything about that conversation in the morning. "What gave you this idea anyway?"

"Her face when I told her I'd like to bring Brunt with me to Welgaia." she said, opening the door to Twilight's stable, Twilight was standing in the corner, asleep. Sendra nudged Brunt to go in, which he did, and she closed the door behind him.

"Ah." Mithos said, nodding. "Brunt was probably one of the only sane creatures she had to talk to in that manor."

Sendra nodded lightly. "That, and I'd promised I would teach her how to ride. Now, she'll just have her own horse to do it. Horses are usually able to be ridden by the time they're two years old, but I can start teaching her on a wingless Brunt." she said, turning back to Mithos

He grinned. "Perhaps she can teach you to spellsing as well. Between her and ... Ren, was it?... You could pick it up fast. And you pick things up fast anyway."

She shrugged. "Never was much of a singer." she said, looking over at Brunt one more time, who had positioned himself beside the still sleeping Twilight and just watched her. "Anyway. How should we get to Altamira?"

He paused. "Teleporting, of course." he said, raising an eyebrow at her. "How else?"

She blinked. "From what I've heard of Altamira...I just...hadn't expected you to have been there before." she said slowly, though even as she said it, it sounded less plausible to be true.

"I'm over three thousand years old and have scoured this world from top to bottom multiple times." he said dryly, "How do you expect me to not have been there before?"

She shrugged. "Doesn't seem like somewhere you'd go." she sweatdropped.

"I suppose not." he sighed. "But I have been there, I assure you. Though there is the problem of them not allowing children in most of the areas at night... I don't exactly fit in anywhere on earth in my adult form."

She blinked, having not considered that. "Ah... New outfit, maybe?" she suggested. "You'd look pretty normal if you weren't in the... … … … … … ….you know if I wanna keep my life I'd best not describe that outfit." she said the last bit a little quieter.

He rolled his eyes. "Probably for the best." he said, smirking at her. "Though I'm curious, I know better then to ask..."

She shook her head lightly, she hadn't REALLY thought about it before, but now she was pondering that outfit's aspects. "... Anyway. New outfit?"

He thought about it for a moment. "Yes, I suppose so." he muttered. "The question is where to acquire said new outfit."

She shrugged. "Why not in Altamira? I can go in and find you an outfit, or at least something to change your look a little bit. It might be quicker than going somewhere else."

He sighed. "Fine..." he muttered, holding out his hand. He really could think of no other options anyway if he were to accompany her into Altamira.

She took his hand, smiling. "And don't worry, I'll make sure it's suitable for ya."

He didn't seem to have a reply to that; merely transported them to a point just inside the roped-off entrance to the city. Apart from several people outside the doors to the hotel, nobody was around.

Sendra let go of his hand, and walked into the city without a word. She was rather happy to spot a clothing store-- still open -- rather quickly. She walked inside and looked around.

Mithos wandered away from her in the store, seeing nothing that really caught his eye. He paused, scanning the back wall of the shop where clothes with flames printed all over them were on display. He snorted. "For people who want to look like they're on fire, apparently..." he muttered, though no sooner had he said that before he saw an outfit that was rather like his usual one, though less tight and in two pieces. A white tanktop and matching pants, a large flare at the bottom with golden flames embroidered onto the legs. He blinked. "...Close enough."

Sendra was eyeing a pair of odd-looking bellbottoms, shaking her head lightly "...no." She wandered off to find Mithos, finding him by the rack with the clothes he'd found. She smiled. "Well we know that'll look good on yah."

"It'll do." he said, pulling the outfit off the rack and looking around for the register. "...I can't see over the other racks." he muttered moodily, more to himself then Sendra. "How did I stand being this short when I was ... actually this age?..."

Sendra stifled laughter. "You didn't have another body 6'ft tall." she said, leading him around to the register.

He followed and put the clothes up on the counter, then paused. "...Oh great ADULT IN MY LIFE," he said, pulling a cute look on Sendra and knowing he'd regret those words the moment he said them. "I have no gald. :"

Sendra looked like she was about to explode in laughter, but she restrained comment-- for now -- and paid for the clothes. She had enough gald anyway, since she wasn't actually using it anymore.

Mithos took the clothes back from the person behind the counter and stalked out of the shop, already preparing himself for whatever beratement he'd be getting from Sendra shortly.

Sendra shook her head, giggling now. "'Adult in my life'? You could've come up with something more convincing than that! I mean, those people in Luin seemed to think you were my son. Yeah, I got knocked up at 18 and had a kid." she giggled again. "The thought just amuses me."

"I am not going to call you 'mother.'" he said dryly, glancing over his shoulder at her. He slipped beside the store into a totally unlit and deserted alley and slipped the way-too-big-at-the-moment shirt over his head. "This is ridiculous." he muttered as he looked down.

"'Least the neck of it won't interfere with my crystal..." he tugged at the low v-neck of the shirt.

She shook her head, once again marveling on how she got the LEADER of CRUXIS, and THREE THOUSAND YEAR OLD ANGEL, to go to this party city with her, and wear a disguise at that! "I never asked you to call me 'mother', it'd disturb my image as much as it would yours. MAYBE sister, but 'adult in my life' sounds silly." she managed to forget until a second later that that may hit a sensitive spot in his mind, and she just hoped it didn't.

He didn't reply until he had slipped the pant part of the outfit on as well and transformed, inexplicably in the new outfit now rather then in his usual one. He glared vaguely at his wrists, muttering something under his breath. The wings there faded and he looked at Sendra again, smirking. "I was trying to sound silly, believe it or not." he said, apparently not too bothered by her last comment.

Her eyes widened. "...Dewd. I am the awesomest being on the planet. I got you to TRY to sound SILLY." she grinned coolly. "Go me."

He shook his head slightly, adjusting the collar of his new tank top to fit more properly around his crystal. "...This feels weird. I'm not used to not having sleeves." he muttered, walking back out of the alleyway and toward the bay-area.

She smiled. "I guarantee you'll get hit on. Guarantee it." she said, poking him in the arm lightly. "Even if your normal outfit is tighter, without the sleeves...yeah. At least one girl is gonna try her hand at you." she said, stepping out of the alley and looking around Altamira for the first REAL time.

"Wonderful." he muttered, looking out across the city as well. "Wait, what makes you say that?" he said, pausing for half a step before resuming walking.

She stared at him. "...Do you SEE your arms? Most women, especially if they're drunk-- which I wouldn't put past a lot of the people here-- would DIE for a man with arms like that." she shook her head. "You been in the clouds too long."

He blinked, looking down at his left arm. "...If you say so." he said, shrugging. "You're probably right of course, but that doesn't make the prospect of getting hit on constantly any better. ...Why am I here with you, anyway?"

"Because I'm adorable." she said simply, leading him down a flight of stairs, as IF she knew where she was going. To be honest, she didn't, but she saw the beach down said stairs, and was instantly interested. It also helped that it appeared like a flaming juggling show was going on on said beach.


	43. Firey Skills

Yggdrasill followed Sendra without really paying attention, though the fire caught his eye. "Well that seems smart, throwing fire around." he said sarcastically, though he was interested.

Sendra smiled. "It's smart for them. They make money out of it, and if they're good, they won't drop it. Aside from that, you taught me how to 'throw fire around'." she said, conjuring a tennis-ball sized ball of fire and tossing it into the water where it went out as quick as it came into existence.

"Yes, but conjuring fire and handling it like they appear to be are different matters..." he said, watching her fireball sizzle out of existence. "You control the fire when you conjure it, and you're unlikely to be burned."

"They also have the fire on the end of sticks, away from them." she said, turning around again and watching them closely.

He looked toward the jugglers and watched for a few moments. "Ah... I wondered how they were managing it."

"Flaming baton, cloth on the ends of a flame-resistant pole, set alight. Makes a pretty darn good show so long as your watch your pants, if the fire gets too close it can catch on a pant leg." she said, knowing a liiiittle too much on this subject.

He smiled. "And how do you know all of this?" he asked, smirking down at her. "Used to be a juggler as well?"

She turned as red as the fire they were juggling, or redder. "It...uh...It was a low point, no one really needed my services for a year, so I followed a traveling show around and did that and learnt a few things there... This was one of my top acts..." she said, watching the obvious star of the show twirling two batons. She scoffed.

He chuckled. "Never would have guessed." he said, watching the juggler. "I'd bet you're a better juggler then that clown."

Sendra smiled. "See how he's got two going? Second trick I learnt. Right after learning how to twirl one." she said, a grin spreading over her face. "Well. If I get to play court jester for Cruxis... I might as well get to entertaining." she muttered as the main juggler tossed one of the batons in the air and caught it flawlessly. But in his _hand_.

"...I don't like the look on your face, somehow." he muttered, watching her. "Don't do anything reckless."

She looked back at him. "Now, when have I ever been reckless?" she said, stepping backwards and disappearing into the crowd of people around the jugglers.

The juggler spun around and tossed both batons high into the air, doing a very short, one-handed and kind of lopsided handstand before hopping back onto his feet and catching both batons again. Yggdrasill watched from the back of the crowd, sighing and just hoping Sendra didn't do anything stupid.

Sendra appeared at the front of the crowd again, visible just barely by the spears poking out above her head. "OH COME ON. That was rather lame, I think!" she hollered, loud enough for everyone to hear.

The juggler paused, looking at her. He swung the batons around smugly. "Oh really, lassie? Think you could do better?" he asked, smirking at her and tossing a baton in the air, catching it again after it spun once or twice.

She laughed. "If you could spare a few batons, and excuse the upcoming pun, I'll smoke you." she said, hands on her hips.

The juggler paused again, looking at her with a slightly less smug expression. After a slight pause, he nodded to one of his cronies in the background. "Get her a baton, then!" he called. He looked back at Sendra. "Not my fault if you get hurt then, lassie."

Sendra smiled. "Don't hurt yourself, either. And OI!" she hollered at the crony, "Make that three batons."

Both star and crony froze and stared, before the crony shrugged and grabbed two more, bringing them up and handing them to Sendra. Our nameless star smirked. "Step up, then, and I'll light your first baton." he said, waving the baton in his right hand about.

Sendra smiled, taking two batons in one hand and one in the other, she stepped up, near the star. In a quick movement, she waved one baton at his, and when she held it upright again, it was alight. She lit the other end, and the other two batons and held them up.

She twirled one, and twirled the other two in her hand at the same time. They were beside each other, so it was simple enough. She tossed the one baton in the air, and switched one of the other batons to her empty hand while the first was in the air. She began juggling them smoothly, all three of them, without touching the flames.

The star pouted for a moment before stepping a little further away and juggling his two batons, adding a little dance to his routine as he did so. In the dark background, one of his other cronies sulked behind him, waiting for a cue.

Sendra caught the last baton and stopped juggling them, twirling them simply as she watched for the star's move. After all, the crowd couldn't watch them both at the same time anyway.

At some inexplicable except to the act's cue, said crony in the back tossed a third baton into the star's juggling path, and the star tossed one baton high into the air, catching the new one and proceeding to juggle the three, though slightly less well as he had been fairing with two.

Sendra smiled, nodding. While twirling, she tossed one of the double-batons onto her foot with a very slight pause, she balanced herself on one foot, for a moment, with the baton resting on the front of her ankle, and then kicked her foot up, the baton twirling PRECISELY how she wanted it to, and she caught it, in the middle, in her mouth.

The star stopped and stared in awe, succeeding in dropping a baton and setting his pant leg on fire. He didn't seem to notice at first, but when he did, he let out a rather girlish shriek and stomped on the baton and the cuff of his pant leg, putting the fire out.

Sendra spat the baton out in her mouth just in time to laugh. "That's an amateur's mistake, dearie. I thought I told you not to hurt yourself?" she said, still twirling her three batons in her hand.

He growled at Sendra, glaring. "Just who are you?" he asked, resisting the temptation to prod her with a flaming baton. "How are you that good?"

Sendra smiled. "Now, now, don't get all in a huff" she half-sang, "My name is Sendra. And how did I get this good?" she laughed. "That should be simple! I practiced, of course. And learned new things." she said, blowing out all but one end of her batons. She watched the flame a second, and then stuck the flaming end in her mouth, pulling it out again, of course, not firey anymore. She handed them back to a crony. At this point, most of the crowd started clapping.

The star stared in awe, then sighed, defeated-looking. "Alright. I'll practice and get better. I'll beat you someday, somewhere." he said, dropping his batons in the sand and extending his hand to shake Sendra's. "Deal?"

Sendra took his hand and bowed "Deal. I look forward to it, Mister...?" she awaited a name.

"Dente." he said, "But most of my friends just call me Star."

Sendra nodded. "Star. I'm sure we'll meet again." she said, stepping back into the crowd amidst their cheers. She returned beside Yggdrasill a few moments later, grinning. "See? Not reckless. In the LEAST."

Yggdrasill was grinning, giving her a look of amazement. "You continue to impress me every time you open your mouth." he muttered, shaking his head wonderingly. "What other bizarre secrets like that do you have hidden, Sendra?"

She wagged her finger at him. "Mithos, remember! Angels are ageless. You will have plenty of time to learn them all." she grinned. "Being a fire juggler helped me get better with fighting as well. More graceful and agile. You have to be."

"I can see that." he said, turning his back on the beach and heading for the staircase again. "I really need to learn to stop having low expectations about you. You'll just continue to amaze me and I'm not sure I want that."

Sendra smiled. "Even if you heighten your expectations of me, I will find something else, you realize." she said, following along behind him.

"I don't doubt that." he said, glancing toward the still well-lit hotel before heading toward the bridge over the bay. "And then I'll find some way to avoid or nullify your something else. Endless cycle."

"We got time anyway." she said, leaping ahead of him and zig-zag walking, stepping on every other stone. Why? Because they were there. Although in concentrating on rocks, she didn't look up in time to see the person she was walking into.

KA-RASH.

Sendra fell backwards into Mithos, and the man she crashed into fell backwards on his behind.

Yggdrasill caught her by the arms before she hit the stones, slightly alarmed. "You need to watch where you're going." He told Sendra, helping her back to her feet and looking toward the man who had fallen backwards.

Said man wore black pants with maroon stripes running vertical down the legs, and horizontally around his knees. He didn't wear a shirt so much as he wore a vest with two maroon straps holding the vest semi-closed, but open enough so it showed a lot of his stomach and chest. He had long gloves on that reached almost to his armpits, and were black with maroon designs. On his feet were plain, brown sandals. His hair was the most unusual thing about him, it was somehow red, pink, and purple at the same time. It was streaked with each color equally so they blended perfectly. He wore it back in a ponytail that spiked out at the back of his head. He was rubbing his back and staring, half-wincing, at Sendra and Mithos.

Sendra was in that "what hit me?" stage.

Yggdrasill stared down at the newcomer, a hand still on Sendra's shoulder to help her from falling over again. "And who are you?" he asked, eyes slightly narrowed.

"Enh? Oh! You're the girl who was doing the fire juggling... I saw that from across the water." he said, not paying much attention to Mithos.

Sendra stood on her own, blinking. "Ah, glad you liked it...What's your name?"

"Aftelix. Most call me Aft, even if it gets confusing." he beamed.

Yggdrasill let go of her shoulder, still watching the newcomer with some wariness. Perhaps it was just his nature to be mistrusting of people. Slightly indignant at being ignored, he crossed his arms and remained silent.

Sendra looked curious. "How would that get confused?" she asked, blinking.

Aft smiled. "On a ship, the front of it is called the Aft. I...I work on ships." he said, though it was VERY clear that he wasn't telling the whole truth. Aftie here doesn't lie very well. Sendra however, didn't comment.

"You work on ships, do you?" Yggdrasill said, unamused. "That's an awfully vague job description."

Aft blushed nearly as bright as his hair. Sendra looked back at Mithos a moment before facing Aft again. "Hmm... Well, I'm sorry for running in to you. Could we buy you a drink, to apologize?" she smiled cheerfully. Aft smiled shyly, nodding.

Yggdrasill poked her between the shoulder blades to get her moving again. "Might help if we got to the casino, then." he said, casting another wary glance at Aft again.

Sendra nodded, walking alongside Aft, not entirely noticing that Mithos was behind them and not next to her like she thought he was.

She and Aft were having a discussion about her performance.

Yggdrasill walked with his arms crossed in front of him, glaring at Aft the entire time. He didn't even notice when they stepped onto the elevator until it started moving and he freaked out over only being half on it. He stepped so both feet were on the elevator before it descended too far, mumbling to himself.

Sendra looked over quickly, seeing him stumble. She didn't see him mumble though, and she figured he was alright when he was on the elevator. She returned to chatting with Aft.

The elevator shuddered to a halt once on the ground and Yggdrasill saw that they were lucky enough for the train to be at this end of the rail, letting a couple passengers off. He glanced at Aft again, eyes narrowed, before prodding Sendra to get her moving again.

Sendra walked over to the train, with Aft following in an almost puppyish way. Sendra took a seat in the middle of it, with Aft next to her.

Yggdrasill noted Aft's behavior in a rather annoyed way as he took a seat behind the two of them, crossing his legs too now and leaning back, watching both with narrowed eyes. The train waited for a few more seconds before the doors snapped shut and it began moving.

Sendra looked back at him leaning on the back of the seat. "You alright? You've been quiet." she said, tilting her head to the side at him.

"I have nothing to add to the conversation." he said, shrugging. "No reason to be anything but quiet."

She watched him a moment longer, then shrugged and returned to talking with Aft. They had moved on to talking about ships.

He listened more to the hum of the train then the two of them, trying to figure out exactly why he distrusted this Aft person so much.

Finally attributing it to a general suspicion until further notice, he barely noticed as the train pulled into the docking point on the level below the casino. There were a lot more people here then there had been in the main city, even owing to the late hour.

Sendra tapped Mithos on the knee "'Ey, we're here. C'mon, I'm buying." she said, leading Puppy!Aft toward the second elevator to take them up to the casino.


	44. Like a Beacon

Yggdrasill stood up and followed, finally uncrossing his arms and apparently loosening up a bit, though he still didn't like the way Aft was behaving...

Sendra did a cartwheel off the elevator when it arrived on the casino floor. She led them into the casino, and snagged a place at the bar with three stools. She and Aft continued their conversation, though Sendra wasn't completely facing away from Mithos this time, she looked over at him occasionally to make sure he was still there.

He leaned against the bar and looked out over the heads of the people inside, trying and failing to ignore Aft. He kept having to tear his eyes away from glaring at the pink-haired man without really remembering ever starting to glare.

Aft was rambling on about the parts of a ship. Sendra had an affinity for water, but she had never actually been sailing, she always traveled by land. So she was interested.

Cue random chick number 1! A girl with bouncy blonde hair, obviously drunk as a SKUNK, fell against Mithos's back and stroked one of his arms. "Whell helsho hanshum." she slurred horribly.

Yggdrasill leaned away from her, a slightly disgusted look on his face. "Um." he said, not entirely sure how to respond to that. This was a new, disturbing, and ridiculous experience. "Hello. Now go away." he said, pushing the woman off of him with hardly any effort.

She quickly flopped back over on him.

Sendra noticed it this time, though, and she leaned on Mithos's other side. "Back off sweetheart." she grinned, leaning over Mithos to look the girl in the eye. "Go find someone else to whore on." she said, grinning sweetly.

The girl looked insulted. She huffed and stamped her foot, though that made her dizzy and it showed. She stumbled off with some difficulty.

Yggdrasill blinked, glancing at Sendra. "Thanks," he said flatly. "I'll remember to not even attempt to be polite in future."

"Best way to deal with them. They're stubborn when they're drunk." Sendra said, actually ordering drinks now. She knew neither she nor Mithos needed them, but oh well. Don't want to be impolite. Once the drinks were in front of them, Aft and Sendra continued their conversation.

Yggdrasill totally ignored the drink, more out of habit then anything, and took to scanning the room in a mostly vain attempt to be forewarned if another woman came up to him. The attempt was mostly vain because there were just so many people.

Sendra sipped hers occasionally, but by the time Aft's was half gone, Sendras was barely a quarter down. Aft apparently didn't notice, still talking about the ships he worked on.

Yggdrasill seemed to have forgotten they were sitting at a bar by this point, distracted by all the dinging sounds of slot machines over the din of voices. He had just begun feeling slightly annoyed at Aft again when a woman with jaw-length, sleek black hair popped up quite literally right in front of him. He jumped back in alarm, putting some distance between him and the woman, who had chosen to appear with her face at a distance of maybe five inches from his. She purred, seeming to be one of the few people in the building that wasn't totally wasted. "Well, hello there"

Sendra made sure to watch Mithos out of the corner of her eye. If he couldn't get her away, she could step in again. But, if he was allowed to teach her magic, she could at least try teaching him how to fend off whores, right?

The woman, dressed in equally-sleek black leather, leaned forward again and Yggdrasill actually stood up to keep some distance between the two of them, though he looked more indignant then alarmed by this point.

The woman stayed back now, tilting her head to the side cutely and purring again. "Oh, shy are we?" she said sleekly, casting her eyes over him once before noticing Aft and Sendra. Her eyes lingered on Sendra, and a small smirk appeared, showing a short fang. "Ah, perhaps I'm wasting my time. Seems like you've already got a girl."

Sendra smiled a sarcastic looking smile, one that clearly said "move it."

Aft watched the scene, and began to wonder vaguely if Sendra and Mithos were in a relationship of anything beyond friendship. Including siblings, perhaps. He wasn't sure.

The woman 'hmm'ed and looked back at Yggdrasill, who was surveying her with narrowed eyes. He didn't comment on her assumption, since if he denied a relationship with Sendra he'd be leaving himself wide open.

However, even that didn't seem to deter this woman. "Hmm, no confirmation, no denial... Guess I was wrong!" she said, reaching a hand out and stroking her index finger along his jawline. His eye twitched very slightly but he didn't move otherwise, merely glared, still in slight shock.

Sendra rolled her eyes. "Step away and you won't walk away with ale on your head. Wouldn't want you to be any wetter than you obviously are now." she said in a sweetly sarcastic tone. "Shoo." she said, very flatly now.

Aft beamed. His new friend was cool!

The woman in black raised an eyebrow at Sendra, her hand resting gently at a point just above Yggdrasill's crystal. "Mmm, you don't scare me with your big talk, sweetheart." she said, smiling her fanged smile. She focused her attention on Yggdrasill again, stepping up to him so there was very little distance between them, if any at all, and stroking his jaw again, whispering something into his ear. He turned his head away from her, a look of silent, snarling disgust on his face, but otherwise was rather pinned between the woman, the bar, and a wall. While that only produced _more_ shock, it seemed to jolt his mental reflexes, as in his eyes, one could see the spark of thoughtful malice that usually meant impending doom.

Sendra sighed. "Uh huh." she stood up and hooked a finger in the woman's shirt. Rather easily, pulled her away from Yggdrasill, grinning. "Now, you saw how easily I did that? I really don't want to have to throw you into the wall. Shoo." she said, taking her finger out of the woman's shirt, sneering at her finger, she wiped it off on a napkin. There was nothing on it, but she was having fun. Heck, she was probably doing something stupid, but oh well.

The woman merely laughed a jingling laugh, one that made several men nearby look around with interest but only made the hair on the back of Yggdrasill's neck stand on end. It was creepy rather then enchanting. "You don't know who or what you're dealing with, darling." she cooed at Sendra, giggling again. "I'm hearing no objections from him, after all... who are you to step in?" she walked back up to him and ran her fingers through his hair, purring. "Whaddya say we ditch these two and go back to my room hm? Get to know each other a little better?" she nuzzled against his neck, apparently just looking for trouble.

That was the cue he needed. "I don't think so." he said, placing a hand on her shoulder and pushing her away, much to her shock. His glare was stony.

Sendra smiled. "Jeez, I was wondering when you'd get rid of her." she shook her head, though she didn't want to return to her seat until the girl was gone.

Aft had left his seat as well, and was standing behind Sendra in his puppy mode again.

The woman pouted, purring yet again and placing a hand on top of the one he still held her at bay with. "You sure about that, handsome? I could show you a good time, moreso then this little wretch could ever do." she said, casting a quick and contemptuous glance toward Sendra.

After a few moments of deliberation in which he might have actually looked like he was considering her offer, his expression turned to one of mischief and spite. He chuckled, leaning close to her and whispering into her ear. "I get my kicks _above_ the waistline, sunshine. Beat it."

The woman, who looked utterly shocked, stared blankly for a few moments longer before turning sharply and stalking away. If one was watching, they would have been able to make out a black cat's tail almost completely obscured by her clothing, the fur all puffed out in an angry way.

Sendra clapped for him. "Right, if you have this covered, I'm returning to my drink." she smiled, turning around, she ran directly into Aft again, and although neither of them fell over, there was a very awkward moment where they were inches away from each other, likely due to Aft's lack of being able to hold his drink well. Sendra stepped around him and sat back down, awkward moment over, and once he'd sat down again they continued talking.

Yggdrasill noticed nothing about the idiot woman, being too busy glaring lightly at Aft. He sat down again as well after a moment, eyes still on Aft with some levels of suspicion rising...again. Jeeze, lighten up.

Aft slurred a few of his words, but Sendra didn't seem to mind. She still glanced over at Mithos to make sure he didn't attract any more women, but slightly less often as she was also trying to make sure Aft didn't fall over.

Aft, however, apparently wasn't quite sober enough. He couldn't come up with the ship-related word he was looking for, and while thinking he slid off his chair, crashing on the floor before Sendra could catch him. Sendra, after failing the catch, bent down to help him. "Aft?" she shook him lightly, as he was already dozing.

Yggdrasill stared, an eyebrow raised. "...Seems he's rather weak-willed when it comes to holding his drink." he said lightly, not really seeming to care. "I doubt he'll wake at any point soon."

Sendra blinked, though she had to agree since Aft was already snoring. "Eh. Maybe drinks were a bad idea, then. We should get him out of here."

SNOOOOOOOOOORE.

"And take him where?" Yggdrasill asked, sliding off his seat nevertheless. "Do you intend on buying him a room at the rather expensive hotel?"

She blinked. "...no. Uhh..." she paused. Earnia probably wouldn't like the late-night intrusion. "...Lets...figure that out when we get out of the bar." she said, glancing around. One rather creepy looking woman in an unflattering state of undress was staring at the snoring Aft with a hungry stare. Sendra shuddered and attempted lifting Aft, who was heavier than he looked. Even for Sendra.

Yggdrasill sighed heavily. "You can't lift him, can you?" he muttered, watching her struggle. Shaking his head lightly, he bent over and lifted Aft with ease, holding him at arm's length by the collar of his shirt. "Lead the way." he said flatly.


	45. Secrets Kept

Sendra paused a moment at how grumpy he was. She hadn't really noticed that he was suspicious of Aft. She didn't seem quite as embarrassed that she couldn't lift him, though. She shrugged lightly and led him out of the casino. Rather than heading out of Altamira, she simply went to a very vacant alley next to the casino. She was surprised that no one was back there having sex, but she didn't really mind. She was too busy wondering where to take him.

Yggdrasill followed without a word, barely fighting the urge to just let Aft dangle and drag on the ground. Once in the dark and vacant alley, he let Aft slide down one wall to sit on the ground and snooze while Sendra figured out where to take him. "Taking him back to Derris-Kharlan is out of the question." he said to ward off any ideas she might have of that, watching Aft with narrowed eyes.

She looked up, that thought hadn't occurred to her. "Why? I mean, if he's contained in one room, it can't hurt anything. Vinheim has libraries. We can say that we took a boat back to Sybak, I mean, they'll look the same anyway." she said, looking at Aft. He was still snoozing.

"And how do you expect to get him back _out_ later?" Yggdrasill asked, giving her a patronizing look.

She paused, looking over at Aft a moment. "...I... …Remember the Desian I told you about who could...tell...I was a half-elf?" she said quietly.

Yggdrasill raised an eyebrow, not sure what that had to do with his question. He disregarded it for the moment. "Yes...?"

"Aft...Aft is a half elf." she smiled. "I can tell. Maybe...could we...offer a crystal to him?" she said the last bit quieter. Mithos was already apparently in a bad mood.

He looked down at Aft again, silent. Now that they were out of the chaos of the Casino and he had stopped his mistrust temporarily, he could feel it too. "...So he is." he muttered. Instantly, his suspicion and distrust of Aft became less of an issue, though by no means did they vanish. He looked back at Sendra. "I don't think you really want to give him a Crystal. The chances of him being like your friend Ren is slim; I feel nothing that indicates he'll retain most of his personality after the Crystal takes over."

Sendra looked over at him, rather quiet. "...I suppose that is true... Well, if we were going to tell him we took him to Sybak, we might as well go there instead." she said. She'd forgotten there were angels who lost themselves. They weren't really that...noticeable.

"And do what afterward?" he asked. "Do you intend on waiting around for him to wake up and explain what happened, or just leave him somewhere with no explanation or indication of where he suddenly is?"

She took a moment to process why he would ask such a stupid question. "I had planned on waiting on him to wake up. Did you have something you needed to do instead?" she asked curiously.

He looked away, looking instead at the snoozing Aft again. "Not really, I just have no desire to sit around waiting for him to wake, nor do I really have a desire to leave you alone to do so."

"I can take care of myself, Mithos. You don't have to wait with me." She smiled.

He didn't move, merely continued to glare at Aft. "...I don't trust him and I'm not leaving you alone with him." he said shortly.

She stared a long moment. "Are you...worried about me?" she blinked. She knew she was probably useful to Cruxis, and she knew she was amusing to be around, but was that enough for him to be protective?

He stiffened, though in the dark it was hard to tell. He was quiet silent for several seconds, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. "...I..." he sighed, closing his eyes. "...I guess I let myself forget that you're not my sister sometimes. You… look just like Martel, you know. If it weren't for the blonde hair I'd swear you were a clone."

Sendra's eyes widened and she was, again, quiet for a moment. "...No one told me what she looked like... I didn't know." she said, recalling how she'd hinted at him calling her his sister rather than 'adult in his life'. "...Lets take him to Sybak. He shouldn't wake up in the alley." she said after a second, she was kinda stunned still. She knew how attached he was to Martel.

Without a word, he reached down and grabbed the collar of Aft's shirt again, then extended a hand toward Sendra without looking at her.

Sendra took his hand, trying to avoid Mithos's gaze anyway. She looked like his sister... This brought up several thoughts in her mind.  
In the blink of an eye, they stood in one of the warmly-colored, smaller and totally vacant libraries in Sybak, low-burning torches in brackets on the walls vaguely lighting the large room. Yggdrasill placed Aft against a bookcase, crossing the room himself and leaning against the stone wall near a torch, still not looking at ... anything but the floor, really.

Sendra sat down on the floor and stared at Aft's feet for lack of anything else interesting. "D...does me looking like her make it... more likely that our signatures would match?" she asked without looking at Mithos.

He took a few moments to answer. "Honestly... I have no idea." he said quietly. "It's likely just coincidence. A striking one, though."

Sendra swallowed. The idea of...reviving Martel...with her... did not appeal to her. "Is that the reason why I rose so quickly?" she said, looking at him this time. It wouldn't really offend her so much as...disturb her.

"...It's the reason I gave you your crystal in the first place." he said quietly, still refusing to look at her. "Once I saw what you were capable of, I knew I had made the right choice... but, yes. That is the main reason you skipped so many ranks."

She nodded, leaning back against a table. She looked up at the ceiling a moment before closing her eyes. "You really do want her back..." she mused quietly. "She meant a lot to you..."

He glanced at her finally, his expression halfway between shameful and sheepish. "You're only now realizing that?" he muttered.

She shook her head. "No. I knew it already, but it's just hit rather hard this time." she said, opening her eyes from the ceiling. She blinked once and looked at him seriously. "No matter how much I look like her, I can't take her place until she comes back." she said, almost defensively. She was still slightly creeped out about whatever slight possibility there was that she was the one they worked for.

He looked away again, staring at the floor, causing his hair to swing forward and obscure most of his face. "...I know that..." he muttered, sounding much different from how he usually did, particularly when in this form. He sounded... saddened, yes, but almost ashamed, as well. Like a child being reprimanded by a parent. "I know that you can't take her place... I just... forget sometimes."

Sendra stood up, walking over to him. At this moment, she didn't really give a damn that he was her superior. She moved his hair away. "I don't mind it. It's slightly disturbing, but now I know just how much she meant to you. I can't take her place, but I'm still going to be me." she smiled, now that she was on this subject she felt better about it. "I mean. This isn't going to change much, I just know now. I'll still be those enigmas wrapped in an oxymoron. And YOU," she poked him in the shoulder, "still have to try and understand said enigmas and oxymoron...ishness!"

He blinked once or twice, surprised at her sudden appearance in front of him. He tossed his head back lightly to move his hair, then smiled very lightly. With a small laugh, and without warning, he pulled her into a one-armed hug. "Yeah, yeah... I've got a long time to work those enigmas out, give me a break."

Sendra snorted laughing after a moment when she realized she was being hugged. She hugged back lightly. "You know, this scene would melt half of the angels in Cruxis's brains." she shook her head, looking over at him.

"Probably." he said dryly. "Even moreso since they wouldn't understand half of the conversation, few of them even knowing Martel really isn't a Goddess, let alone my sister..."

"Yeah. But, you know, LORD YGGDRASILL, hugging someone-- anyone -- is out of the ordinary. I mean, Melody looked stunned when I said I was on first-name terms with you." she said, grinning.

However, they had both failed to notice, Aft had woken up. "..._Lord_ Yggdrasill?"


	46. Secrets Told

Yggdrasill's head snapped sharply toward Aft, and he blinked a few times, registering the fact that he had awakened already. He let go of Sendra after a moment, arm falling limply to his side. "Well, he woke up a lot faster then I expected him to." he said lightly, raising an eyebrow.

Aft stared. "I...I can't hold alcohol but...I sober quickly..._Lord_ Yggdrasill?" he asked again.

Sendra hopped up and sat on a table, not entirely sure how to answer that, so she decided to stay quiet.

Yggdrasill crossed his arms in front of him, considering Aft. "I am Sendra's ... employer." he said after a moment, hoping that would work on Aft.

"... … … … … _LORD_?" there was only one thing he could think of at the moment that would include her calling him "lord", and it creeped him out at the moment.

Thankfully, Sendra caught on and was also slightly weirded out by it. She hopped off the table and, while Aft was having a heart attack over there, whispered at the other angel, "Might rephrase that. Makes it sound like you're paying me for those 'below the waistline' style kicks." she said, looking at Aft, who looked thoroughly jibblie'd.

Yggdrasill rolled his eyes, sighing in an exasperated way. "Idiot." he muttered under his breath. He looked back at Aft, and the annoyance that had returned remarkably quickly showed. "Get the filthy thoughts out of your head, boy." he said, clearly not amused. "I am the leader of an organization that Sendra belongs to. She is a subordinate to me. There is little more you need to know."

Aft stared. "It...HEY! I'm not having tho...thoughts!" he said defensively. "It's just...in Altamira there are guys who...who like that and..." he was very confused and decided to shut up before he hurt himself.

Sendra shook her head. "It's alright. An honest mistake." she said, nodding.

At this point, Aft realized that this room wouldn't be caught dead in Altamira. "...where am I?"

"Sybak." Yggdrasill said simply. "We got on a boat after you passed out. It wasn't safe in Altamira." It was only then that he realized that story didn't really work when Aft had such a short time to recover from alcohol and he had already remarked on how quickly Aft had awoken.

Aft blinked. "But the boat from Altamira to Sybak takes hours... even on the fast boats. I've never been knocked out for more than an hour!" he said, staring at them. "And there's nothing within an hour of Altamira! And there's no where like this in Altamira!" he blinked, VERY confused. How could they have gotten him to Sybak in that amount of time?

Sendra sighed, she couldn't have expected this.

Yggdrasill glanced at Sendra with some annoyance, though most of it wasn't directed at her. He looked back at Aft, thinking. They were conducting memory-erasing experiments in Welgaia, perhaps he could offer Aft as a 'volunteer'... "Did you consider that there's a first time for everything? Perhaps this is just the first time you've been out for more then an hour."

Aft didn't look convinced. "I practically live in Altamira. It's pretty hard to avoid getting drunk weekly. Especially when you have to work with a bunch of Pirates because they're the only ones who'll takakakakakkaka-- Uh." Whoopsie. Slipped a little.

Sendra stared. Huh, the only ones that'll take him? She figured that was the end of his sentence.

Yggdrasill raised an eyebrow. "Pirates? Interesting." he said simply. He didn't seem to have much more to say to that.

Aft swallowed. "I...uhm... It's...hard for me to g-get work because...um..." he fished around for an excuse. Of course, Sendra had been in the same boat. She knew why.

"Because?" Yggdrasill prompted, smirking. He actually wanted to hear this one.

Aft backed up and hit a bookcase, which prompted a book to fall on his head, but he was too busy fishing to really notice, somehow.

Sendra shook her head. "Spit it out, whatever it is, I'm sure I've heard worse." she smirked.

Aft was slightly comforted by that, but he was still uneasy. "Because I'm...I'm a half elf."

"I see." Yggdrasill said simply, his tone not changing in the slightest. "To be expected. Do your pirate brethren know?" he asked, more then happy to be steering away from the topic of how they got from Altamira to Sybak.

"Pleasedon'ttakemetothePopeIdon'twannaworkdownthere." Aft stammered. "They don't know but as far as they're concerned I'm just another deck hand." he mumbled, staring at them. They seemed to be taking this rather well, because Sendra looked rather relieved that he finally SAID it.

"I'm not taking you anywhere." Yggdrasill said simply. "I have no reason to. You're another person, not some animal that can be chained in the basement here."

Aft's eyes widened. "...Y-...you're not? I... I didn't think h-humans could...be okay with that. Except the pirates but even they stay away from me. I don't mind that though, they're kinda smelley. But...you...you're not mad at me?" he blinked at them.

Sendra smiled, she preferred to just let Mithos talk. I mean, she'd been talking with Aft for quite some time and Mithos should probably work off some of the suspicion he had.

Yggdrasill paused for a few moments, thinking which path was best to take here. "Why should we be angry with you for something you cannot control?" he finally settled on, watching Aft closely.

Aft shifted and stared intently at his feet. "M...Most humans do..." he said after a second. "Elves too, but they're all in Heimdall..." he rubbed his left arm, wincing a little.

"Most humans are cruel and insensitive." Yggdrasill's voice dropped slightly into a growl. "Both sides shun those caught in the middle for reasons that are nigh uncontrollable."

Aft blinked at him. "...You say that as if you aren't one." he stated.

Sendra smiled and layed back on the table, kicking her foot which was dangling off the side of said table to a rhythm in her head.

Yggdrasill paused, then brushed his hair behind one ear, showing its pointedness. "Because I am not. Both Sendra and I are half-elves as well."

Sendra raised her hand in the air with a thumbs up. "Yep." she said, laying her hand back over her stomach.

Aft looked surprised. "I... I had a feeling about that...you were so nice...but I just wasn't sure..." he said, swallowing. "So...um...how did we get here so fast?"

Yggdrasill mumbled in annoyance, knowing the boat thing wouldn't work anymore. He cast his mind around quickly, but came up with nothing. "You HAD to pick Sybak." he finally settled on, looking at Sendra halfway between amused and highly annoyed. Hey, look on the bright side. At least she hadn't picked Palmacosta!

Sendra sat up and turned to him, grinning. "Well YOU didn't come up with anything amazing." she said, putting her elbow on her knees. "And if my ideas are so bad, you go ahead and explain how we got here!" she half-sang. She hoped she wouldn't end up paying for that.

Aft looked thoroughly confused.

Yggdrasill narrowed his eyes, amusement all but gone now. Looking back at Aft, he sighed. "I have no ideas other then handing him over to those in Welgaia experimenting on memory-erasing. And even saying that in itself is enough to merit said handing-over."

Sendra blinked. "Memory erasing? Jeez. You've got experiments on THAT and none on Cruxis Crystals on animals?" she shook her head.

Aft stared. "Cruxis whatses? MEMORY ERASING?"

"The magic needed to erase memories is much easier to access and is in much higher supply then Cruxis Crystals are." Yggdrasill said, not really paying attention to Aft by this point.

Sendra shrugged. "Ehh... I guess it'd be for the best. It wouldn't hurt him though, right?" she asked, not noticing Aft's questions either.  
Aft wasn't entirely happy about that either, but he wasn't about to interrupt because he found that it was NOT a good idea to anger people who confuse you, because more often than not, they're more powerful than you.

"There's the distinct possibility he'd lose more memories then intended." he said, glancing at Aft. "Other then that, I'm not aware of any side-effects."

She nodded, that couldn't be TOO horrible anyway.

Although Aft wasn't too happy. "I'm still in the room you know." he whined.

"We're aware of this." he said calmly, looking back at Aft. "You seem to be too smart for your own good and have found out a small amount more then you're _allowed_ to know."

Aft stared. "...But I have no idea what's going on anyway. I don't even know what a Cruxis is!"

Sendra chuckled lightly. "What a pickle." she muttered quietly.

Yggdrasill watched Aft silently, weighing his chances of just letting the strange man go. "Regardless, there are people that would understand what Cruxis is should you go around babbling about it in a drunken spree."

He looked offended for a second, but then he nodded and blushed. "That's...um...that may be true but…" He had no real answer for that.

Sendra flipped her hair away. "If we're going to take him to Welgaia, you might as well explain what's going on to him. It'll just make it harder on him if he hardly knows why his memory is being erased." she said, turning her attention to Aft. "But if we explain, you have to go along with us." she said, looking almost saddened. "I'm sure you'll understand that we can't risk letting you go."

Aft considered that for a second before he nodded shakily. "O...okay."

Yggdrasill sighed heavily. "You realize if we were to explain, we'd have that much more to erase, and that much more risk of unintentional memory loss?"

Before Sendra could answer that, Aft did. "I...I hardly have any memories worth keeping." he said, rubbing his arm again, causing him to wince, yet again.

Yggdrasill noticed the wincing and wondered why he kept doing that, but disregarded it. "Very well..." he muttered bitterly. "Cruxis is the organization that leads the Church of Martel. I am the leader of Cruxis." he bowed his head slightly. "And the supreme lord of Angels."

Sendra nodded, having little to add, and she didn't really trust herself with what information was all right to say or not.

Aft blinked. "Angels? ...You mean they exist?" he paused. He'd never been a follower of Martel, so the fact that another organization was controlling the Church didn't bug him much. But Angels? Hah.

For an answer, Yggdrasill took a step away from the wall. Without warning, his bright, shining purple wings unfurled from his back, and the ones at his wrists appeared as well. He paused, looking at his left wrist. He seemed to keep forgetting those semi-useless winglets existed. They flicked as he dropped his hand back to his side and looked at Aft again. "Yes. Angels do, in fact, exist."

Sendra kicked her feet and hopped off the table, her own wings appearing as she did so, for good measure.

Aft's jaw dropped. "...Whoa... How can you make them just appear and disappear like that though?" he said, staring at Sendra's wings.

"Trade secret." he said, more to avoid having to explain something he really couldn't anymore then anything else. Not like Aft really needed to know anyway. "The reason you're suddenly in Sybak is that certain Angels possess the ability to teleport."

"I couldn't think of anywhere else, and we hadn't expected you to wake up that fast." Sendra explained.

Aft nodded, but he still looked rather weirded out. "How did you become a high-ranked angel if you're a half elf, though?" he looked questioning, the story was a little fishy if the LEADER was a half elf, I mean, doesn't everybody hate half-elves?

Yggdrasill raised an eyebrow. "Nearly all angels are half-elves." he said simply.

Aft looked amazed. "Whoa..." he was quiet a second. This was all very foreign. Angels? Half elves? And most humans look up to Angels! Hah! If they only knew. Aft was still confused about one more thing, though. "So then... If Cruxis is the...organization that controls the church... Didn't you guys mention Cruxis...um..." he had already forgotten what they called them. "Oh yeah! Cruxis crystals! What're those?"

Yggdrasill considered not answering that one, but decided it was going to be erased anyway. "Cruxis Crystals are how one becomes an Angel." he said, watching Aft.

Aft blinked, well THAT didn't make any sense. "So...wait, that's how someone becomes an Angel?" he paused. Well, it kinda did make sense since he never learnt any different. "Huh... So if someone receives those...crystals... they become an angel?" he paused, eyes lighting up after a second. "Couldn't I just--"

Sendra cut him off. "Before you ask that. It is very unlikely you would keep your personality." she said, watching him. "Most will lose themselves to the crystal and become...rather doll-like." she said, shaking her head lightly. "I don't think you'd want that."

"Angels... are also known as Lifeless Beings." Yggdrasill explained slowly, again wondering if he should be saying this. "You lose what makes you ... for lack of a better term to use, human. No longer needing sleep, food; sensitivity to feelings most take for granted is dulled or taken away completely."

Aft swallowed. Well that wasn't very pleasant. "I... I guess I understand why you can't let me tell anyone, then... Not many would still follow the church if they knew..." he said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Sendra looked back at Mithos, and then at Aft. She shook her head lightly, it was a pity...

Yggdrasill smirked again, oh he could argue with that one but he didn't really feel like it. He looked at Sendra. "Explained enough then?"

Sendra nodded. "I suppose, if he understands now." she said, her wings disappearing out of habit - for some reason, she hardly kept them out for long. Probably because she didn't like the dollish effects they had on other angels.

Aft was rubbing that arm again, still looking pained by it.

Yggdrasill noticed this time and narrowed his eyes. "Is there something wrong with your arm?" he asked out of habitual concern for a fellow kinsman, nodding toward it. "You keep rubbing it like it hurts you."

Aft looked surprised that someone noticed, even if it was dead-on obvious. "Er, it's... it's nothing." he said, quickly moving his arm.

Sendra eyed the long glove that covered that part of his arm, shrugging. She'd noticed he was rubbing it but she hadn't been watching closely enough to see that it hurt him.

Yggdrasill looked suspicious for a moment, but decided not to ask further. "On your feet, then." he said, extending a hand toward Sendra out of habit. "And take Sendra's hand. We're going to the Angel city."

Sendra took Mithos's, and looked away from Aft's glove as she held out her hand.

Aft shakily took it. Poor thing, naturally nervous.

He gave Aft one last look before all three of them vanished, suddenly standing in what appeared to be the entranceway to the military-based side of Welgaia. Both Angel guards snapped to attention as they saw who had just appeared, standing rigid and saluting as they tapped their spears on the ground in unison. Two large metal gates parted to allow them entry into the military zone.


	47. There’s One More Angel in Heaven

Aft was a little hesitant in letting go of Sendra's hand, as he was now rather afraid. Sendra looked around her, smirking. "You remembered to take down the barrier, I see."

"Handily enough." Yggdrasill replied emotionlessly, walking through the gates without a second glance at the guards, and his outfit inexplicably and smoothly morphed into the one he usually wore as he strolled through the corridor. Angels here and there either saluted or bowed as he passed, depending on their rank, it seemed. Eventually he stopped before a door and it slid open of its own accord, revealing a large room with ... some bizarre, unidentifiable and huge machine in the center of it.

Sendra followed him but she stayed near Aft, who looked very nervous. He looked like he was forcing himself to not rub his arm, and kept glancing at Yggdrasill. He seemed to be regretting that he'd even asked.

Yggdrasill walked into the room and an official-looking, male angel with white wings approached him, bowing. "Lord Yggdrasill," he said to the floor, "To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit tod—"

"Save it," he cut across his subordinate, annoyed. "The Desian-class half-elf behind me has specific memories that need to be erased. The last... oh, four hours. Get rid of them."

Aft took a step backwards when they stopped, now looking very, very jumpy. Sendra looked back at him as he wrung his hands, which were shaking by now.

The angel straightened and looked at Aft. "Understood, my Lord." he said, beckoning to several angels behind him. Two female angels in robes came up and grabbed Aft by his upper arms, one on each side.

Yggdrasill looked at the Official-Angel again. "He'll need to be kept from forming any memories after the memories have been erased for around ten minutes while he is taken back to Altamira. Can you insure that?"

At this point, Aft exploded. "I don't wanna have my memory erased!" he yelped when the angels touched him. "I... I don't care what would happen to me!" he stuttered, "I wanna be an angel!" he said a little more quietly, embarrassed about it. He yanked his right arm free with difficulty and pulled down his left glove, showing where he'd been rubbing before. There was a giant, purple-blue-black and slightly grossly yellow bruise that went all the way around his arm. "I'm tired of being beat up by those pirates. I don't want to live with Humans anymore." he muttered.

Sendra stared confusedly. She hadn't entirely not expected this, especially with seeing how nervous he was after they actually reached Welgaia.

The two angels that had grabbed him looked blankly at their superior, who in turn looked to Yggdrasill, at a loss. Yggdrasill surveyed Aft for a few moments, eyes slightly narrowed. "...So be it." he said after a few moments. He couldn't refuse a fellow kinsmen an escape from being tormented like that. He looked at the Official-Angel. "Disregard those orders." he said simply, turning and walking back out of the door. Said angel waved a hand to dismiss the two he had summoned, looking at Aft without emotion.

Aft was breathing very hard and didn't really seem to hear Yggdrasill. Sendra sighed and, making sure to avoid the bruise, grabbed his shoulder. "C'mon." she said, leading him to follow Yggdrasill.

Aft allowed himself to be lead around. If one didn't know better they'd think he was already in that dollish mode, he was so quiet.

Once out in the deserted corridor, Yggdrasill stopped and turned around to face Aft and Sendra. Bringing a hand up and twirling it in midair once in front of him, a shimmering Crystal appeared there. He looked at Aft, a serious expression on his face. "You're sure of this?" he asked, twirling the other hand. A key crest was suddenly in the palm of his hand as well. How he was able to procure this one but couldn't do it for Brunt is an authoress secret.

Aft, yet again, was a little too zoned to notice he'd been asked a question. Sendra poked him and he snapped back to the real world. "Wha--? Oh..." he swallowed and stood up straight. "Y...Yes." he said, rolling his glove back up over his bruise.

Yggdrasill placed the Crystal in the key crest with a small sigh and handed it to Aft. "Place it near your collarbone, then. The Crystal will take hold on its own."

Aft stared at it a second, and Sendra let go of him and stood over next to Mithos. Aft swallowed once more and placed the crystal on his collarbone. In a moment, as Brunt's had, white wings faded into existence, though they weren't as shiny and pearl-colored as Brunt's, and were in all honesty pretty normal. However, one thing unusual, was one feather was stuck out of place and was out at an odd angle. Aft was wincing all through this since he had no idea what was going on. He gained no other real physical traits that one could see, really.

Sendra watched him, hoping but then looked over at Mithos a second, blinking. She poked his arm. "Put your wings away. :/" she said, assuming he knew the effects.

Aft still didn't really move from wince-mode.

Yggdrasill raised an eyebrow at her. "...Why?" he asked, obeying anyway. He didn't exactly notice the wings on his wrists, which stayed put.

Aft, when his wings went away, opened one eye. "...Hewwo?"

Sendra smiled, "Because Mana wings make lower-class angels go funky." she replied, looking over at Aft, who stopped wincing finally and was looking at his wings. "Whoa..."

Yggdrasill blinked several times. "...I wasn't aware of that." he said, shrugging and finally noticing his wrists. He sighed, fading those wings away too for the time being.

Aft attempted to turn himself around to inspect his wings more, although this resulted in him spinning around. I.E. Dog chasing tail. Sendra simply had to giggle.

Yggdrasill rubbed his forehead, sighing. "Already feeling my I.Q. drop. Perhaps you could find your other angel friends and go exploring around Welgaia, or something?" he asked Sendra.

Sendra smiled and reached out, managing to not get hit by Aft's wings as he spun, she stopped him. "Aft? You okay?" she said, leaning down as he was slightly shorter than she was.

Aft blinked. "Of couwse I'm okay! Why wouldn't I be?" he said. Apparently the crystal caused him to gain a speech impediment? Wtf?

Yggdrasill raised an eyebrow. "...Interesting." he muttered. "That's not a side-effect I'm familiar with."

Sendra smiled. "I think I know why... The crystal brings out a person's physical strengths, right?" she said, stepping away from Aft.

Aft blinked at them, and then continued trying to inspect his wings again. He apparently hadn't figured out that he could move them, as they were pretty much stationary.

"Yes..." he said slowly, watching Aft with an increasing amount of pity. "Apparently in this case it dulls the wits, though. Move your wings, boy."

Aft stopped and looked curiously at Mithos. "...These awe mine?"

Sendra giggled. "Yes, but with a reason. One of his strengths, which you probably didn't notice, is being adorable and innocent. The crystal amplified that." she said, not really expecting him to understand.

Aft managed to flap his wings once "...Awesome!" he squee'd.

Sendra smiled. "Come on. That is cute."

Yggdrasill resisted the strong temptation to smack himself on the forehead. "I'm not sure how long I can stick around without having to hurt something or someone. I'll escort you out of the military area so you don't get into trouble and leave you to find your own way around Welgaia."

Sendra giggled. "Alright, alright." she said, turning to head for the door, she got fwacked in the face by one of Aft's wings.

Aft jumped and stopped flapping. "Oh! Oh Sendwa I'm sowwy, I didn't mean to!" he said, blinking.

Sendra looked crosseyed at her nose for a second before she laughed. "It's alright."

Unamused like-whoa, Yggdrasill merely sighed and headed back toward the gates. It felt odd being in Welgaia without his wings, but he'd be back in Vinheim soon enough anyway...

Sendra and Aft walked along behind him, although it didn't take them long to start skipping every few steps.

It took Yggdrasill a lot of willpower not to tell them to stop skipping. As the gates came into view, it appeared that they were just closing, a battalion just coming back from a training drill having just filed through. The angels that led the battalion stopped as they saw Yggdrasill and saluted, and the rest of the group did so as well. The Supreme Lord paid no attention whatsoever, being too preoccupied with getting the two behind him out with minimal damage to his mind.

Sendra shook her head after a moment and turned to attempt to calm Aft down a little. In a moment, they were walking like normal people. One must wonder what she said to him. Hmm.

As they passed, one of the angels at the front edge of the battalion prodded her superior in the back and asked something. After a pause, said superior nodded, and the angel flapped her wings and rose over the heads of all the others, revealing herself to be Melody. She raised an eyebrow at Sendra as she fluttered above the rest of her squad as they filed past into the corridor. Yggdrasill wasn't paying attention, glad to be out of the gate and that much closer to his castle.

Sendra caught a glance at Melody over Aft's wings. Despite him being shorter, his wings were higher than she was. She waved lightly to Melody as they passed.

Melody flew over and landed next to Sendra, somehow only then realizing who they were in the company of. She froze, eyes wide, and stared at Yggdrasill, but he didn't pay her the slightest bit of attention.

"You're out of the military base now. Stay out of it." he said clearly to Sendra. "I'm going back to Vinheim before my brain melts from you two. Have fun annoying everyone." he sighed, vanishing on the spot.

Sendra shook her head lightly. "Uh-huh. I'll see you later on, go re-solidify your brain. I'll be a good girl" she said sweetly, though she was talking to the air where Yggdrasill had just been. Aft stared at Melody, blinking. He didn't really notice much else.


End file.
